Washington – In a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee today, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) grilled DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano about her Department’s deportation practices. Sen. Grassley was particularly agitated about the “threat” of Napolitano using prosecutorial discretion and allowing some individuals with compelling cases to delay their deportations.
Instead of calling out Sen. Grassley for his role in blocking immigration reform, Secretary Napolitano tried to appease him. She touted her Department’s record number of deportations and noted that the Obama Administration granted deferred action in less than 900 cases last year – fewer than the Bush Administration.
According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice, “It’s a sad day when the Obama Administration uses deportation statistics from the Bush years as a measure of success. It’s also a sad day when policymakers in Washington, like Senator Grassley, try to bully government officials into being tough for tough’s sake. DHS needs to exercise more discretion in its deportation practices, not less. And Congress must do its job and pass the DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform so that we have a rational, humane, just immigration system.”
America’s Voice — Harnessing the power of American voices and American values to win common sense immigration reform.
www.americasvoiceonline.org
###
