DHS Report Undercuts Obama’s Amnesty Rationale
While Barack Obama’s amnesty actions are held up in court, the administration has argued Obama’s power grab is simply prosecutorial discretion and a prioritization of enforcement. Specifically, Obama’s Justice Department says it can “focus limited resources on higher priority aliens” who pose “threats to national security, border security, and public safety.” That’s a convenient lie, however, as revealed in a recent report from DHS Inspector General John Roth:
DHS uses prosecutorial discretion in deciding to what extent it will enforce immigration laws, including whether to place aliens in or take them out of the removal process. However, the Department does not collect and analyze data on the use of prosecutorial discretion to fully assess its current immigration enforcement activities and to develop future policy. Although the Office of Policy is responsible for developing department-wide policies and programs, DHS has not required this office to gather or use data to assess the effect of prosecutorial discretion on immigration enforcement activities. The Department also does not have a mechanism to continuously monitor its use of prosecutorial discretion and improve future policy.
As a result, DHS may not be using its significant investment in immigration enforcement as efficiently as possible. The Department may also be missing opportunities to strengthen its ability to remove aliens who pose a threat to national security and public safety.
In other words, DHS isn’t collecting the information needed to even assure that it’s doing what Obama claims is a “priority” — removing dangerous aliens. We’re pretty sure the Fifth Circuit Court will find this report relevant as it considers the legality of Obama’s actions. More…