Backdoor Amnesty? – A rose by any other name…

The Obama administration has been unable or unwilling to take action to properly secure the borders of the United States. Now, the Department of Homeland Security (clearly a misnomer) is taking action to remove what few teeth remain in our nation's immigration laws by simply releasing illegal immigrants who were being held for deportation according to a Houston Chronicle article this week. Is this amnesty by default?

The Chronicle reports that immigration attorney Elizabeth Mendoza Macias quoted a DHS trial attorney as stating 2,500 cases are being reviewed in Houston alone for possible dismissal. The story goes on to say that about 23,000 cases in Texas and 248,000 nationally could be affected by the DHS policy.

Curtis Collier, US Border Watch, president, said he was stunned by the decision of unelected bureaucrats to simply release people who have broken the laws of this country. "We have been concerned that Obama would find a way to grant amnesty without actually granting amnesty," Collier stated. "Clearly, they have been looking for ways to stop the enforcement of US law in regards to illegal aliens."

ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton stated ICE had the capacity to deport about 400,000 illegal aliens per year. Yet, ICE is now choosing to simply not deport illegal immigrants with no other significant criminal history.

The Chronicle quotes Tre Rebsock, the ICE union representatives as saying "that's going to make our officers feel even more powerless to enforce the laws."

*Above picture attributed to Bill Smith II from the Houston Chronicle.