Releasing Illegal Immigrants
In late February, news reports appeared saying that the Department of Homeland Security had released hundreds of illegal immigrants from custody. Some of these individuals had criminal backgrounds; others did not. But the common thread was that they had all entered the country illegally.
The Department claimed that this action was taken in the name of cost savings due to the then-impending sequestration. I, like many of you, couldn't believe the Federal government would willingly release illegal immigrants, rather than find ways to save money elsewhere.
On March 8th, I joined 36 of my House colleagues in sending a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano seeking answers as to who was released and what criteria was used to determine the process. We also asked how the department planned on tracking those released.
Just last week – two months after we sent our letter – the agency decided to respond. We discovered that Immigration and Customs Enforcement released 2,226 detainees, prioritizing those "not subject to mandatory detention" and those who "posed no significant threat to public safety." According to the letter, those who have not been re-detained are on "some form of supervised release," meaning bond or telephone monitoring, for instance.
I find it naïve to expect that the agency is fully monitoring all of those individuals it released, and fear this is just another effort by this Administration to promote amnesty. As we said in our letter, the decision to release these illegal immigrants under the guise of saving money is extraordinary, unprecedented and dangerous, and it cannot happen again.
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Sincerely,
Sam Graves
MOBILE OFFICE HOURS
Each month, my staff travels the Sixth District to discuss your concerns face-to-face with you. Because the district extends from the Missouri to the Mississippi, it is important that we make interacting with my office as easy as possible for you. You are invited to visit with a member of my staff in a town near you. The Mobile Office schedule for May 2013 is as follows:
Tuesday, May 14th
Adair County Courthouse, Kirksville – 1:00 p.m.
Macon County Courthouse, Macon – 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 15th
Shelby County Economic Development, Shelbina – 8:30 a.m.
Dairy Queen, Vandalia – 12:00 p.m.
City Hall, Monroe City – 1:30 p.m.
Mark Twain Council of Governments, Perry – 4:30 p.m.
Friday, May 17th
McDonald's, Bowling Green – 11:00 a.m.
Tuesday, May 21st
University of Missouri Extension, Edina – 8:00 a.m.
Lewis County Industrial Development Authority, Monticello – 9:30 a.m.
City Hall, Kahoka – 2:00 p.m.
Northeast Missouri Regional Planning Council, Memphis – 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 23rd
City Hall, Milan – 8:30 a.m.
Putnam County Courthouse, Unionville – 11:00 a.m.
City Hall, Lancaster – 1:00 p.m.
City Hall, Palmyra – 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday, May 28th
Carroll County Courthouse, Carrollton – 8:30 a.m.
City Hall, Salisbury – 11:00 a.m.
Linn County Courthouse, Linneus – 1:30 p.m.