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”.

Sen. Grassley: Obama Going Behind Congress' Back On Immigration

By Adrianna McGinley

Ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), argued Tuesday that the White House is improperly operating behind lawmakers’ backs on immigration policy.

The senator specifically questioned the motive and intention of a memo released by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in August calling to establish a working group to review the cases of hundreds of thousands of undocumented individuals.

“The Obama policies may be an impermissible intrusion on Congress’s plenary authority over immigration law,” Grassley said during an appearance before Judicial Watch, a “conservative, non-partisan educational foundation, [that] promotes transparency, accountability and integrity in government, politics and the law”.

In September, Grassley and 18 other senators sent a letter to Obama requesting the new policies be rescinded and that Napolitano be made available to questioning by Congress. She is scheduled to testify Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“It will be our chance to conduct oversight over her department and their policies,” Grassley said. “You can be sure that prosecutorial discretion will come up. I also plan again, to express my concern with how this administration is enforcing the laws, and whether they are trying to find creative ways to keep as many illegal people in this country.”

Grassley also expressed concern over a memo released last summer giving “prosecutorial discretion” to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and “gun walking” that took place under Operation Fast and Furious.

Under the controversial Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) operation, weapons were allowed to “walk” in to the hands of Mexican drug cartels. Two of these weapons were found at the scene of the December murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.

“My motivation is to make sure nothing like this ever happens again, and get the truth for the Terry family as well as an untold number of Mexican citizens who may be victims as well,” Grassley said.

Dems Fight For DREAM Act

by Kyle LaFleur

Democratic members of both houses joined the Secretary of Education and Homeland Security Wednesday to rally Congress to vote on the Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act before the end of the lame duck session.  

The DREAM Act would allow minors under the age of 16 whose parents are undocumented immigrants to gain a path to citizenship provided they complete high school or reiceve a GED, have lived in the United States for at least five years, are of good moral character and plan to either attend an American university or serve in the military for at least two years.  

“This is in the interest, not just these young people, not just in the interest of their families and their communities, this is in the nation’s interest,” said Education Secretary Arne Duncan. “We need their ingenuity, we need their creativity, we need their entrepreneurship skills, we need them to help lead the country where we need to go educationally.”

Critics of the bill have argued that it is just an amnesty plan disguised as an education bill.

“I want to make it absolutely clear, this is a very tailored and structured piece of legislation,” said Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.). “So tailored and so structured that if you’re 10 years old today and have only been in the country four years, you do not qualify for the DREAM Act.”

Gutierrez went on to point out that beneficiaries of this legislation would not receive pell grants, health care or government assistance if they chose to go on to college. He also added that those choosing to enlist in the military would be paying the ultimate tax to the United States. 

“That is the tax of our blood, of our life and our limb in defense of this nation,” said Gutierrez.  

Democratic leaders have called for the vote to be held Wednesday as they scramble to gain support on both sides of the aisle. 

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.

Secretary Napolitano Defends The Administration's Response To BP Spill

By Justine Rellosa-Talk Radio News Service

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano defended the Obama administration's response to the massive oil spill off the Gulf Coast during her testimony Monday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

"We are doing everything we can to ensure that vital response assets and personnel and equipment are efficiently and effectively deployed and utilized," Napolitano said.

According to the Secretary, more than 17,000 paid personnel, 21,000 volunteers and 750 vessels are currently responding to the spill.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I. Conn.), the committee's chairman, took a less favorable approach to the government's activity prior to the spill.

"The U.S government has a responsibility for protecting the public safety ... and that responsibility, I fear was not fulfilled in this case prior to the accident occurring. The result is the human, environmental and economic catastrophe we are now witnessing in the gulf."

Napolitano reiterated that the financial responsibility for all claims that emerged from the spill falls upon BP.

"We are ensuring that British Petroleum, as the responsible party, is paying the costs of the clean up and compensating the individuals, communities, and businesses that have suffered already as the result of this spill."

BP America Chairman and President Lamar McKay told the committee that there will be a new online claims filing system that will be implemented starting this week as a means to help those affected by the slick.