DHS Releases Criminal Aliens: “On What Authority?”

From the moment President Obama authorized thousands of criminal aliens released, outrage has boiled over. Even though detaining criminal aliens costs peanuts, an average $164 daily, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano disingenuously referred to releasing them as a budget saving sequestration measure. But, the joke is on innocent citizens— budget cuts haven’t been and never may be made. Freeing criminals—alien or otherwise— is dangerous and, as carried out by Napolitano, legally indefensible. [Some Facilities Releasing Immigrants, by Mark Curnutte, Cincinnati Inquirer, February 28, 2013]

Disregard the soft sell defense that open borders lobbyists have spun about low priority offenders.  According to the Center for Immigration Studies’Jessica Vaughn, among the released detainees were convicted drug abusers, thieves, forgers and wife beaters—no one you want moving in next door.  

U.S. Representative Ted Poe (R-TX), a former federal judge and current Chairman of the House Immigration Caucus, called the administration’s action “organized government jailbreak.” Poe added that legally “it takes a judge to put them in jail and judge to take them out…” Watch Poe on Fox News here.

In his letter to Napolitano, Poe inquired under what authority DHS acted and demanded to know the names, countries of origin and crimes committed by the freed criminals. In a separate letter to Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, Poe called for House Judiciary hearings. Read the letters here.

Even the New York Times, an unwavering administration supporter and an unsurpassed amnesty advocate raised its eyebrows at the latest DHS indignity. Normally unwilling to acknowledge even the

most outrageous immigration offense, the Times published the gruesome details about how 52-y

ear-old Jamaican alien Orlando Williams landed in detention.

According to the story, Williams “…had violated probation for a conviction in 2005 of simple assault, simple battery and child abuse, charges that sprung from a domestic dispute with his wife at the time.”

Once out, Williams said: “I’m good, man. I’m free.” [Mass Release of Immigrants is Tied to Impending Cuts, by Kirk Semple, New York Times, February 26, 2013]

In one of many disgusted comments to the story, California reader Don R. summed up everything that’s bad about Obama’s immigration policy:

“As father whose son was killed by an unlicensed illegal immigrant let me give you a few facts about our immigration system. Right now DHS is doing everything they can to keep every illegal immigrant in the US. After the man who killed my son was released from prison USCIS refused to detain him for deportation because in their words, ‘He only has one crime of moral turpitude.’

"It took me 4 months but I finally got him detained and he is now going through deportation proceedings. Without my involvement from the start he would have been plea bargained out of the initial crime and would now be free to go about his life.

“I am a life-long liberal and despite what I've been through I still am. However, I have done extensive research over the past two years starting with unlicensed driving which took me to illegal immigration. What I can tell you is that illegal immigration has not only been a disaster for this country but it has eroded wages, taken jobs from Americans and is costing us a fortune.

“You are being lied to about the ‘jobs Americans won't take,’ lied to about all of the ‘contributions’ these people are making and lied to about how legalization and a pathway to citizenship will be so good for our economy. Many if not most of these people are hard working nice people but their presence here is not good for Americans.”

Full details about Don R.’s story are found on his website here.