GOP Senators Demand ICE Stop Release Of Criminal Aliens

From Human Events;

GOP Senators Demand ICE Stop Release of Criminal Aliens


by Connie Hair



10/25/2010







Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans are demanding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stop its policy of selective law enforcement against illegal aliens including the termination of deportation proceedings for a number of dangerous criminal aliens.



Led by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Judiciary Republicans want an explanation from Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano of new selective and lax law enforcement policies for crimes including domestic violence, sexual crimes and driving while intoxicated.



ICE has cited a lack of funding but the senators noted to date they have not seen any efforts by ICE, DHS, or the Obama Administration to "request an increase in ICE funding sufficient to address staffing shortages, detention capacity, and coordination of enforcement efforts nationwide to achieve a streamlined and robust immigration removal system."



The result is the release of these dangerous criminal aliens into our communities.



The letter with signatures is here, with text below.



The Honorable Janet Napolitano

Secretary

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Nebraska Avenue Complex

245 Murray Lane, Mailstop 0150

Washington, DC 20528-0150



Dear Secretary Napolitano:



Recently, media reports have revealed that pending removal proceedings are being dismissed in record numbers. That sharp increase in dismissals is the result of a directive from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director John T. Morton to all ICE attorneys to review pending cases and seek dismissal if the cases do not involve Level I offenders (aliens convicted of aggravated felonies or two or more felonies). Specifically, ICE attorneys are directed to seek dismissal of cases involving Level II and Level III criminal aliens so long as the aliens have no felony convictions and no more than two misdemeanors. As we understand it, cases involving aliens with misdemeanors involving domestic violence, sexual crimes, or driving while intoxicated would not be dropped.



Though the reports focused only on cases pending before Houston immigration judges, our understanding is that the ICE directive applies nationwide. Numerous criminal aliens are being released into society and are having proceedings terminated simply because ICE has decided that such cases do not fit within the Department’s chosen enforcement priorities.



The ICE directive, along with other recently announced detention and removal policies, raises serious questions about your Department’s commitment to enforce the immigration laws. It appears that your Department is enforcing the law based on criteria it arbitrarily chose, with complete disregard for the enforcement laws created by Congress. The repercussions of this decision extend beyond removal proceedings, because it discourages officers from even initiating new removal proceedings if they believe the case ultimately will be dismissed based on the new directive.



Even more disturbing is the fact that your Department has chosen to dismiss cases against criminal aliens, including aliens who have committed crimes involving moral turpitude, crimes of violence, assault, theft, fraud, drug offenses, driving under the influence, and illegal entry.



To be sure, ICE has cited a lack of resources as one of the reasons for its prioritization of cases and for its selective enforcement. But to date, we have not seen any efforts by ICE, your Department, or the Administration to request an increase in ICE funding sufficient to address staffing shortages, detention capacity, and coordination of enforcement efforts nationwide to achieve a streamlined and robust immigration removal system. As a result, it appears that your Department is doing the very thing that we have raised concerns about in several letters—allowing illegal aliens to evade the law while waiting, without much concern about removal, to one day obtain legal status. Though Congress has been slow to reach a comprehensive immigration solution, your Department is charged with enforcing the law as written and it should not be adopting a lax approach to immigration enforcement or selectively enforcing the laws against only those aliens it considers a priority.



We would like a detailed list of the number of cases that have been dismissed since January 2010 to the present. If the case involved a criminal alien, we also would like you to identify which crimes the aliens were convicted of and in which jurisdiction. In addition, we want you to detail exactly how much funding your Department would require to ensure that enforcement of the law occurs consistently for every illegal alien encountered and apprehended by ICE or U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Please respond by November 15th.







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Connie Hair writes daily as HUMAN EVENTS' Congressional correspondent. She is a former speechwriter for Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) and a former media and coalitions advisor to the Senate Republican Conference. You can follow Connie on Twitter @ConnieHair.