| Napolitano Defends Obama's Selective Deportation Policy Change |
| Jul-19-2012 |
| Keywords: napolitano, congress, immigration, policy, change, illegal, deportation, work permit |
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano today defended the administration's policy change to selectively deport illegal immigrants.
In her first appearance before Congress since the president's announced policy change last month, Napolitano was unapologetic for the decision.
"Our nation's immigration laws must be enforced in a strong and sensible manner." Napolitano said in prepared remarks to the House Judiciary Committee. "But they are not designed to be blindly enforced without consideration given to the individual circumstances of each case."
The change in policy would allow some 800,000 to 1.4 million illegals would be able to skirt deportation and apply for work permits provided they meet the administration's new criteria; prove they are 30 years old or younger, have been in the United States at least five years, arrived before they turned 16, graduated from a U.S. high school or earned a GED or are currently in school and don't have a criminal record.
Republicans are furious over the change in immigration enforcement, claiming the new policy is an end-around Congress after the DREAM Act was defeated.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas chided administration and its new policy in his opening remarks.
"The administration's amnesty agenda is a win for illegal immigrants but a loss for Americans." Smith added, "Time and again the Department of Homeland Security has gone out of its way to avoid the enforcement of immigration laws. The Department of Homeland Security's policy of non-enforcement will continue to cost innocent Americans their jobs."
Similar to the president's health care reform law, many of the details of the new policy enforcement are still being worked out. Napolitano said DHS is still working out what documents will be required to skirt deportation and apply for a work permit. |
|
|
Posted by Lou Dobbs Staff at 10:00 AM Email to a friend |
| < Back to Today's Issues |
|
 |
|
|
|
