Napolitano Grilled On New Deportation Policies

By Adrianna McGinley

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano defended the Obama administration’s new guidelines prioritizing criminal deportations during an appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday, arguing that it makes sense economically.

Napolitano cited that each removal costs DHS between 23 and 30 thousand dollars, not including the cost to the Justice Department. She said this means DHS is only able to finance 400,000 removals per year, and with over 10 million estimated undocumented immigrants in the country, prioritization is essential.

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said he is concerned because ICE leaders told him the new “confusing” guidelines have caused low officer moral. 

“The new standards calling on them to consider DREAM Act type issues in determining whether or not the person they detain ought to be released or not, whether they’ve got a high school diploma, whether or not they might be a witness to a crime, that these are very confusing directives and that makes it more difficult for them to act effectively to apprehend people here illegally.” 

Sessions then accused Napolitano of “rolling her eyes” at the statement.

“From me as a person who worked with federal agents for years,” Sessions said. “When you hear this kind of comment and votes of no confidence, I’ve never heard of that, you should be paying real attention to them, not rolling your eyes at them.”

“I’m not rolling my eyes, what I’m suggesting is that results matter here, and priorities really matter,” Napolitano defended. “The results reflect the priorities we have set, and these are priorities that are consistent with prior administrations.”

“We could just remove anybody without any priorities, and that would be one way to do it,” Napolitano said. “Or the other way, and the better way, and probably the way you [Sen. Sessions] ran your office when you were a prosecutor, is to say we want to focus on expediting removal of those who are criminals, of those who are fugitives, of those who are repeat violators, of those who are recent entrance, meaning within five years in to the United States, and what you are now seeing is that the numbers reflect those priorities.”

Sessions also questioned reports citing a significant increase in deportations over the last few years saying, “I’m told that ICE carried over from last year 19,000 removals and they’re counting them this year, and it’s sort of a gimmick to making the removals look higher than they are.”

Napolitano denied the accusation.

“I think that what you’re referring to Senator is in the movement from FY ‘09 to FY ‘10, we made the decision that we would not count a removal until there was an actual verified departure from the country, and that had the effect of moving some removals from ‘09 in to ‘10.”

The Committee also questioned Napolitano on TSA procedures and DHS efforts to increase cyber security, as well as detainee treatment and standards of immigrant detention centers brought to light last night in a Frontline special called “Lost in Detention”.

Napolitano: Threat Of Homegrown Terrorism Growing

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee Wednesday alongside FBI Director Robert Mueller and National Counterterrorism Chief Michael Leiter. The three testfied about the status of U.S. national security since 9/11. 

Nine years later, the country is safer from large scale attacks,, but faces a new troubling enemy, said Napolitano.

“Homegrown terrorists represent a new and changing facet of the terrorist threat.” To be clear, by homegrown, I mean terrorist operatives who are U.S. persons, and who were radicalized in the United States.”

The DHS chief called on local governments and citizens to work collaboratively to help combat an ever-evolving enemy.

“Homeland Security starts with hometown security,” she said.

Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano Defends Department's Budget Cuts

By Monique Cala University of New Mexico/ Talk Radio News Service

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano defended the Department's FY2011 Budget Request Wednesday, after members of the Senate Homeland Security Committee expressed concern for decreases in what they called ‘key’ areas.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), who chairs the committee, questioned the decision to decrease funds allocated for cyber security.

“This budget cuts the spending on cyber security by 5 percent. Key information systems in the private and public sectors are penetrated everyday in our defenses against computer attacks and data theft,” said Lieberman.

“Cyber space is of key concern. The reduction noted is attributable to many things,” Napolitano responded. “One, is that there were one time expanses that we had last year that we do not need to duplicate in 2011.”

Cuts made to the U.S. Coast Guard also came under close scrutiny. Sen. Susan Collins in particular asked U.S. ports would remain safe in light of Guard's $75 million budget reduction.

“Our nation's top intelligence officials recently testified before Congress that it is “certain” that al Qaeda is planning to attempt another attack against the United States within the next six months,” explained Collins.

Collins went on to voice concern with the request for $200 million to provide security in large metropolitan areas in the United States that host trials for suspected terrorists now held at Guatanamo Bay.

“These terrorists could be tried on military bases before military tribunals, without incurring this unnecessary expense and security risk,” said Collins.

Napolitano responded that regardless of where the suspected terrorists are tried, in military or civilian courts, the expense for security will still be close to $200 million.

A full break down of the budget can be found at the DHS web site.

Napolitano Commits To Immigration Reform

By Leah Valencia, University of New Mexico- Talk Radio News Service

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano stepped up her call for immigration reform Friday, saying that while Congress has lagged on the issue, comprehensive reform is more realistic and necessary than ever before.

“Everybody recognizes that our current system isn’t working and that our immigration laws need to change,” Napolitano said in a morning address at the Center for American Progress.

Napolitano said the Obama administration will give a strong push for immigration reform in early 2010, noting that the immigration debate has changed since two years ago when it was last taken up by Congress.

“In 2007, many members of Congress said that they could support immigration reform in the future, but only if we first made significant progress securing the border,” Napolitano said.

Napolitano said DHS has proved their commitment to border law enforcement as the U.S. Border Patrol has grown to 20,000 and erected a 600 mile border fence, adding that the number of illegal immigrants trying to enter into the United States has significantly decreased.

“I’ve been dealing hands-on with immigration issues since 1993, so trust me: I know a major shift when I see one, and what I have seen makes reform far more attainable this time around,” stated Napolitano, who served as Governor of Arizona, a border state, from 2003-2009.

She specified that Immigration reform would not serve as a free path to legalization for the 12 million illegal immigrants currently living in the United States. Rather, reform would require illegal immigrants to register with DHS and pay fines and back taxes, pass criminal background checks and learn English.

“This is a task that is critical, it’s attainable and that we are fully committed to fulfill,” Napolitano said.

Homeland Security Teams With ICE To Deport Criminal Aliens

By Leah Valencia, University of New Mexico- Talk Radio News Service

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Assistant Secretary John Morton announced Thursday a new initiative to expand the ICE’s Secure Communities initiative, a program that uses biometrics, such as taking digital finger-print samplings, to identify and remove illegal immigrants that have committed crimes in the U.S.

Since its inception in October 2008, ICE's Secure Communities has identified 11,000 people who were convicted with Level 1 offenses or crimes such as murder or rape, of those 1,900 offenders have been deported from the United States.

“By the end of 2011 we project having a presence in every state,” Napolitano said. “By 2013, assuming Congress continues to fund our efforts, Secure Communities plans to expand nationwide and be available to every law enforcement agency in the country.”

Morton said the Secure Communities initiative, which was enacted one year ago, has identified more than 111,000 criminal illegal immigrants in local custody during the program's first year.

Critics say the Secure Communities initiative could be abused and result in racial profiling, explaining that a law abiding immigrant could be arrested with the sole intention of having their immigration status checked, at the discretion of a local officer.

“There is no distinction between citizen or non-citizen, every single person who is booked into a jail, gets their fingerprints checked and gets their immigration history checked,” Morton said, replying to the criticism. “This is not about, has not been and won’t be about conducting basic civil-immigration enforcement for non-criminal offenders.”

Morton noted that the goal of the initiative to identify and deport serious offenders that are dangerous, but under the initiative all illegal aliens that have committed a crime will be sent back to their country of origin.

“At the end of the day, if you are here unlawfully, not only are you deportable, but you certainly shouldn’t be committing crimes. We are going to identify those people and we are going to remove them.”