DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano was called before the Senate Judiciary Committee to get dressed down by this esteemed governing body and to answer a few questions about immigration, TSA, and other things that fall under the Department of Homeland Security. Not everyone was on their best behavior.
According to the Washington Times:
Homeland Security Secretary Janet A. Napolitano says her department has the resources to deport about 400,000 aliens each year, and the new guidance her department issued will only change the makeup of who gets deported.
“There are 10 million or so illegal immigrants probably in the country and the Congress gives us the resources to remove approximately 400,000 per year,” she said, testifying to the Senate Judiciary Committee. “The question is, who are we going to prioritize. And we’re very clear. We want to prioritize those who are convicted criminals. We want to prioritize those who are egregious immigration and repeat violators. We want to prioritize those who are security threats, those who have existing warrants.”
Her appearance came a day after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency within her department that handles interior enforcement, announced it had deported a record 396,906 aliens in fiscal year 2011, which ended Sept. 30.
Of those deportations, nearly 55 percent were convicted criminals, and many of the others were repeat immigration violators or had just recently crossed the border.
Ms. Napolitano said fewer than 10 percent were rank-and-file immigrants working, studying or living in the U.S. illegally, and said that’s by design — ICE has rewritten its priorities to try to maximize the number of criminals who are deported within the resources available.
Criminals work for me and its easier to catch people at the border than other places. That sounds like a good use of limited resources. Isn’t that what part of the battle cry has been? I thought the ideal was to stop illegal immigrants at the border, not when they get to Manassas, Virginia. What are all those border guards for anyway?
However, Ms. Napoitano’s day was not over. Several Senators deemed it necessary to attempt to intimidate and bully the DHS Secretary. In particular, Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama) attempted to push his weight around and treat Ms. Napolitano like an errant middle school student.
Sen. Jeff Sessions, Alabama Republican, said ICE agents are becoming demoralized by the new guidance, and cited conversations he’s had and a recent vote in which the union for ICE agents expressed it had lost confidence in ICE Director John Morton.
Mr. Sessions, a former federal prosecutor, took exception to Ms. Napolitano’s facial expressions as he was raising the issues with her Wednesday.
“As a person who’s worked with federal agents for years, 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,” he said.
“I’m not rolling my eyes,” Ms. Napolitano replied. “What I’m suggesting is that results matter here and priorities really matter, and that the results reflect the priorities we have set. And these are priorities that are consistent with prior administrations.”
Ms. Napolitano said it costs her department about $30,000 to remove each person it deports, and said that doesn’t include the costs to the Justice Department.
Mr. Sessions owes Ms. Napolitano an apology. She is an adult and a cabinet level sescretary. That is clearly bullying. That just isn’t how you treat adults, especially peers. Would he have accused a male cabinet level secretary of eye rolling? Furthermore, if he were truly concerned with the confidence level of John Morton’s underlings, wouldn’t he have contacted Ms. Napolitano by phone or letter to discuss his concerns with her? That union vote of no confidence was not a recent action. In fact, it dates back to August of 2010 and was discussed on this blog. Mr. Sessions must not have found the problem to be a high priority or of any urgency. I might roll my eyes also at his
Instead, he preferred to grand-stand and put on a stage performance meant to belittle and ridicule the DHS Secretary.
Eye-rollers from Ms. Napolitano:
“Man-caused disasters”
Singling out war veterans as potential right-wing extremists.
Equating the Mexican and Canadian borders in terms of drugs and terrorist traffic, and also mistakenly claiming that the 9/11 terrorists entered via Canada.
Announcing that she works “364 days a year” to keep America safe. So one day is a free-for-all for terrorists, apparently.
Comparing building a southern border fence to the Berlin Wall. Really?
The Department of Homeland Security, the TSA and the purely reactive, after-the-fact and astronomically expensive ways they keep infringing upon our rights to keep us “safe” while still keeping our borders porous so as not to tick off Hispanic voters.
There are so many…
Many war veterans do have emotional problems that have let to lone wolf types of terrorism. Shall I start enumberating? These kinds of remarks aren’t just pulled out of someone’s butt. They are gathered statistically.
364 days is a petty complaint. Easy to misspeak.
Berlin Wall–so what’s different? The Berlin Wall was more secure.
What is your real gripe with her? Is it ideologically driven? I think she has done a good job.
Man caused disasters vs naturally caused disasters? what the hell is wrong with that? How about that big oil spill out there in the ocean? How would we classify that?
I agree, Sessions owes her an apology. I have no problem with deporting criminals who are here illegally, and ICE is right to prioritize their deportations. Ms. Napoltano is doing a fine job.
And if Repugs want immigration laws enforced, they’d better be prepared to spend some money. But all they ever talk about is cutting spending for the sake of cutting spending.
Finally, 400,000 people deported is a record high for the history of the American Republic! No Repug President can claim a higher figure. How can anybody conclude that the Obama Administration isn’t enforcing immigration law?
@Starry
President Obama has deported more illegal immigrants and certainly killed more terrorists than anyone else on record. It seems nothing is good enough is it?
Republicans harp about illegal immigration costing this country a fortune. We know that going to war against terrorism costs billions. Obama is knocking them out of the ball park each week. Would their tongues fall out to give positive recognition for knocking out three major terrorists? How about a little recognition for the fact that major terrorism attacks have been twarted? How about deporting nearly 400, deportations? Crickets. The silence is deafening.
Add to my list Janet’s response when questioned about her knowledge of Fast and Furious: “We are waiting on the Inspector General.”
Well, that answered THAT!
…and Hillary Clinton belittled Herman Cain. Just another day in politics. I do support Obama’s drone war…..you gotta give the man credit, he’s used that “inherited” technique to great effectiveness. I wonder, however, how many people do you have to kill to win a Nobel Peace Prize?
Wow, that was more than a little off-topic. Just cracked open my McD’s coffee. Maybe I’ll get the topic right after the coffee…wish me luck! 🙂
@SlowpokeRodriguez
When did Hillary get in Herman Cain’s face and accuse him of rolling his eyes?
It would be hard for Hillary to find a way to belittle Cain that his own Republicans haven’t tried yet. After all, he is in the party of devour your own.
Pokie, after watching that debate, you are being the king of hypocrits to call out Hillary when you practically had a fist fight within your own party.
I am talking about a Senator bullying a Cabinet Secretary.
@SlowpokeRodriguez
At last count, 3. Sometimes you have to kill a few dictators to win the peace. It worked in WWII.
She deserves worse. She’s a political hack who is not working to keep America safe, but rather deliberately undercuts those efforts. She deserves to be prosecuted, in my opinion, not just berated.
@rick, some well documented proof from mainstream sources might make that charge more credible.
Way to go, Senator Sessions!
You will have to back up those two statements, especially given this administration’s tendency to cook the books. Anybody who actually provides statistics on jobs created “or saved” is not to be trusted.
@Kelly3406
And does one count all of the terrorists killed in Iraq and Iran? Then….I think Obama comes in second…..
But, credit where credit is due…he does not seem to have dropped the ball….
Well, Kelly, if you can think of any president who has killed more terrorists than Obama, let me know. As for the deportations, it is a matter of public record and the information I read was in the linked article.
@Cargo, you are right. I meant the big wig terrorists on the list and didn’t say that clearly. But thanks for giving credit where do. I should also. Our troops have certainly killed more terrorists than anyone else.
Once again, some of you all amaze me. You don’t “like” Janet Napolitano so you think it is ok for a senator to berate and belittle an adult cabinet member?
Why is this behavior ok with you? Why do you feel it is alright for a Senator to talk to a Cabinet Secretary this way. Any Senator, any cabinet secretary.
Adults don’t talk to each other that way.
“you think it is ok for a senator to berate and belittle an adult cabinet member”
I do. She serves in an Administration that sues states rather than to help them. I’m not upset if someone speaks rudely to her.
Suing states, deliberately misleading the American people about our options … these things go beyond political discourse.
@Rick, and those states obviously attempt to violate laws, otherwise, they wouldnt continually end up in court over the same thing.
Key word, she serves that administration. She doesn’t set policy for that administration.
In my world, I believe we can speak civilly even to people we don’t ike or agree with.
How do you think his mission was somehow improved by him talking to an adult like she was in middle school?
Why didn’t he just get out a glove and slap her face with it?
Rick, I am surprised at you cheering on bad manners.
Did she actually roll her eyes at Senator Sessions?
She says she didn’t. I tried to find the video to see for myself. I couldn’t.
There is eye rolling and then there is major eye rolling also.
Regardless, he shouldn’t have commented.
Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8KnNGpWxUg
Pretty standard back-and-forth actually.
Thank you, Cato. That is helpful other than I didn’t see her rolling her eyes. I go back to my main contention which is you just don’t say that to adults.
I believe the complaints from the ICE union employees is another issue but certainly one we can discuss here. We began that discussion back in August 2010 regarding Morton.
First off she did what all good bosses do and didn’t throw Morton under the bus because of grousing and complaining from underlings. It sounds to me like they are doing what all union people to, to be truthful. There is probably some truth in their complaint and that much of it is to take the heat off themselves. Recall all the claims that ICE isn’t doing its job by the American public.
Maybe the solution is to tell America exactly what their jobs are and then we will be able to determine if they are doing it. All too often there is a lot of Monday morning quarter-backing by those who have a political agenda.
I didn’t see any eye-rolling.
Sessions, as someone who hasn’t been a prosecutor in quite some time, shouldn’t belittle Napolitano for not having “feet on the ground”. Both are removed from the actual day-to-day experiences of an ICE agent. He also was vague about the bitching ICE agents. Maybe he had some actual paperwork showing exactly which percent griped about specific policies but their conversation seemed pretty standard – as Cato said.
I think Sessions is seeing some of the repercussions of having multiple jurisdictions use 287-g programs and their individual state laws. In the end the Feds will decide who to deport according to their priorities. When it comes to an Alabama jay-walker or a NY murderer, I’d safely guess who will be part of the 400,000.
I am going to bet that the usual people who gripe about unions in the public sector are going to side with Sessions. I feel a huge disconnect.
I am wondering why Sessions waited 15 months to bring up the original complaint from the union re Morton.
I am also wondering why, as a Senator, he didn’t just pick up the phone and call Morton. If he wasn’t satisified with Morton’s response, then why not call Napolitano. Why do I think that was never done.
This also sounds like a normal boss/employee complaint. They are confused. Ask for clarification. How many of us are asked every day to do things at work that we don’t like or would do it another way if we were the boss?
I liked the idea that illegal immigrants are carrying papers saying not to arrest them. I wonder which forgery mill those came out of. Bwaaahahahahahahaha That is actually very clever!! Don’t arrest me. I am not illegal.