American_Jihad
Flaming Libs/Koranimals
Did ICE Director John Morton Deceive Congress?
March 29, 2013
By Michael Volpe
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Speaking in front of the House Judiciary Committee on March 19, 2013, ICE Director John Morton told the committee that in the months of October, November, and December of 2012, the detainee population in ICE facilities ballooned to between 35,000 and 37,000. ICE was only appropriated to hold an average of 34,000 detainees. Morton claimed that this increase in the population was the main reason, along with the sequester, that thousands of detainees were released starting on February 15, 2013.
According to staff on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Appropriations Committee, if this was the problem, none of the proper committees were notified at the proper time, nor were any other proper protocols followed.
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Threadgill also pointed out that the administration had other alternatives besides releasing detainees.
They had other options. For example, they never sought reprogramming/transfer authority, particularly for unobligated fee balances, that would have made a difference.
During the hearing, Morton admitted that he could have used the transfer authority, but declined.
We can seek reprogramming requirements, that is absolutely true, Mr. Chairman, and we did not in this instance, Morton told House Judiciary Committee chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) during the hearing. I did not want to rob Peter to pay Paul. My view is that we need to maintain the operations of the agency, I did not want to furlough people, and my view is that I need to make rational decisions across the [agency accounts].
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This comes as the administrations narrative continues to be challenged on numerous fronts. For instance, while the administration claims that it was the sequester that cut these detainees, it cant explain why they had to release almost ten thousand of the 34,000 they normally hold, when the sequester is at worst a 5% cut, or the equivalent of 1,700 detainees.
Congressman Bob Goodlatte is Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and he hammered on this point in a press release following the hearing:
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This story continues to unfold and its still not entirely clear why all these suspected illegal aliens were released, but it is clear that the administration has told a series of stories all in contradiction with each other and with other known facts.
Did ICE Director John Morton Deceive Congress?
