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Spending Cuts Free 300 Illegal Immigrants From Arizona Jails

Francesca Bessey |
February 28, 2013 | 6:54 p.m. PST

Executive Producer
Career officials at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made the decision this week to release 300 illegal immigrants being held in Arizona detention centers as a cost-cutting measure in anticipation of upcoming sequester cuts, The Daily Beast reported Thursday. The immigrants were released into a supervised monitoring program.
Republicans have been hounding the administration for an explanation of the release. (bavetta, Creative Commons)
Republicans have been hounding the administration for an explanation of the release. (bavetta, Creative Commons)
Republicans have been hounding the administration for an explanation of the release.
White House spokesman Jay Carney and a Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) official said that the administration did not sign off on the decision.
"This was a deicision made by career officials at ICE, without any input from the White House, as a result of fiscal uncertainty over the continuing resolution, as well as possible sequester," Carney said.
An ICE spokeswomen said that the $85 billion in automatic spending cuts expected to go into effect Friday would limit the number of indiviuduals whom the ICE could pay to detain. She also noted that those immigrants targeted for release were deemed a low risk to public safety.
A DHS spokesperson said that detention facililities release illegal immigrants into less costly monitoring programs on a daily basis.
The decision has been criticized by top Arizona officials including Governor Jan Brewer and Senator John McCain.
Read the full story at The Hill.
Reach Executive Producer Francesca Bessey here; follow her here.


 

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