Yeah, that 'departure of DHS’s top immigration enforcement and deportation official'...that's got scapegoat written all over it. And an 'order' to impede existing law? But the White House had nothing to do with this? Riiight. This action has illegal written all over it...FreeBeacon: The Department of Homeland Security’s immigration enforcement division was ordered last week to reduce their illegal immigrant detainee populations to 26 percent below the legally required level, according to a research organization that monitors immigration issues.
That reduction is significantly greater than those required by the impending budget cuts the department has cited for the release of the detainees.
The announcement of detainee releases on Tuesday set off a firestorm on Capitol Hill. The White House has tried to distance itself from the decision, which was closely followed by the public announcement of the departure of DHS’s top immigration enforcement and deportation official.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) division cited impending “sequestration” budget cuts in its decision to release illegal immigrant detainees across the country.
“As fiscal uncertainty remains over the continuing resolution and possible sequestration, ICE has reviewed its detained population to ensure detention levels stay within ICE’s current budget,” ICE spokesperson Gillian Christensen said in a news release.
The law requires ICE to maintain an average of 34,000 illegal immigrant detainees in its detention facilities. However, Rep. Michael McCaul (R., Texas), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said Wednesday that DHS reported fewer than 31,000 detainees as of last week, “in clear violation of the statute.”
According to Jessica Vaughan, policy director for the Center for Immigration Studies, ICE was recently ordered to reduce its detainee populations even further.
Related link: Obama pulls a move worthy of his middle name
UPDATE: Oops, there is no scapegoat after all...AP got that story wrong...
The AP’s story turns out to have been premature. No one has been fired or resigned in the wake of the release scandal.
The senior Homeland Security Department official in charge of arresting and deporting illegal immigrants announced his retirement the same day the agency said that hundreds of people facing deportation had been released from immigration jails due to looming budget cuts, according to a letter obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press. The government said he had told his bosses weeks ago that he planned to retire.So, as of yet, no one's accountable. Sounds about right...
Gary Mead, executive associate director over enforcement and removal operations at Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, disclosed his departure in an email to his staff Tuesday afternoon. The announcement of the release of the illegal immigrants had come earlier in the day.
