Sen. Bernie Moreno questioned a policy witness about illegal immigration during a hearing, pressing him on whether entering the United States without permission should be considered a crime.

The exchange occurred during a discussion on immigration policy, where Moreno repeatedly asked Brendan Duke whether he believed unlawful entry into the country should carry criminal consequences.

Moreno began the questioning with a direct inquiry.

“Do you think it should be a crime to enter the country illegally?” Moreno asked.

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Duke responded by saying he was unfamiliar with the issue.

“I don't know anything about this,” Duke said.

Moreno followed up by clarifying that he was not asking a legal technical question but rather seeking Duke’s personal view.

“You don't have to, look I'm not a lawyer. You don't have to be a lawyer. It's a simple question: should it be a crime?” Moreno said.

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“I'll say it slowly. Should it be a crime to enter the United States of America illegally without permission?”

Duke again replied that he did not know.

“I don't know anything about this,” Duke said.

Moreno then shifted the line of questioning to a personal analogy involving Duke’s living situation.

“Do you have a home?” Moreno asked.

“I rent,” Duke responded.

Moreno continued by asking if Duke had a place where he lived.

“Do you have a place that you sleep in?” Moreno asked.

“Yes. Correct,” Duke said.

Moreno then asked whether Duke believed it should be considered a crime for someone to enter his home without permission.

“Okay. Should it be a crime for people to enter your home without permission?” Moreno asked.

Duke answered affirmatively.

“Yes,” Duke said.

Moreno followed up to confirm the response.

“You're pretty certain on that one?” Moreno asked.

“Yes,” Duke replied.

Moreno then contrasted Duke’s answer about his home with the earlier question about illegal entry into the United States.

“Okay, but you're not sure if it's okay to enter America without permission, which is our home, by the way, you don't know about America,” Moreno said. “Okay, gotcha.”

Moreno concluded his remarks by criticizing what he said reflected the broader position of Democrats on immigration policy.

“All right. So this is the best that Democrats can come up with, Mr. Chairman,” Moreno said.

“I hope the ranking member can listen for just a second, if you don't mind, this is the best witnesses. You've got a guy who can't distinguish whether it's okay to have people enter our country illegally.”

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