So much for the “Deporter-in-Chief”.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) chief Sarah R. Saldana has prepared testimony for the House Judiciary Committee outlining a dangerous drop in deportations due to Obama’s tricky executive actions.
She said she had to pull agents off their regular duties during last summer’s illegal immigrant surge at the border, which meant fewer people focusing on deporting the longtime illegal immigrants living in the interior of the U.S. And she said the lack of cooperation from states, counties and cities when agents ask them to hold an illegal immigrant for pickup has also hindered efforts.
“While the reasons for this may vary, including state and local legislative restrictions and judicial findings of state and local liability, in certain circumstances we believe such a lack of cooperation may increase the risk that dangerous criminals are returned to the streets, putting the public and our officers at greater risk,” she will testify.
Republicans on the panel pointed the finger at Obama.
“Over the past six years, President Obama has steadily dismantled the interior enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws,” said Judiciary Committee Chairman Robert W. Goodlatte. “Under the Obama administration’s watch, the apprehension, detention, and removal of unlawful and criminal aliens has dramatically declined. Altogether, the actions taken by this administration undermine the rule of law, make our communities less safe, and place ICE officers in harm’s way.”
Saldana took heat from the Open Borders lobby last year when during her testimony she bemoaned the “sanctuary city” movement where local governments actively impede federal immigration enforcement. She backed off that criticism after the dust up.
In her testimony for Tuesday, Ms. Saldana said her agency is going to carry out a new program that doesn’t ask localities to hold illegal immigrants any longer than they already do, but would ask the localities to alert federal authorities about impending releases so agents can be on hand to pick illegal immigrants up immediately.
Seems like telling the federal government a criminal is about to be released is the least a local government could do.
Saldana is also expected to testify about the effect of the surge of unaccompanied minors fostered last summer by the Obama Administration.
shifting agents to deal with the increase in new illegal immigrants from Central America meant less focus on long-time illegal immigrants in the interior, and on trying to disrupt Mexican smuggling operations.
Saldana’s testimony paints a picture of an Administration focused on politics and not on enforcement of immigration law. It should certainly bust the myth that Obama is actively deporting dangerous criminal illegals.
