Federal policy on deportation roils Georgians
By Jeremy Redmon
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
7:13 p.m. Friday, August 19, 2011

The Obama administration’s announcement this week that it will generally steer away from deporting certain groups of illegal immigrants is highlighting a disconnect between the federal government's goals and those of Georgia leaders who are pushing for a tough crackdown here.

Federal officials say they have limited resources for detaining and deporting illegal immigrants and are focusing on expelling violent criminals and those who pose threats to national security. They said they are now giving special consideration to illegal immigrants who were brought here as children, high school graduates and others who served or are serving in the U.S. military.

Complaining that the federal government has fallen down on the job of enforcing the nation’s immigration laws, lawmakers in Georgia and several other states have adopted sweeping measures to curb illegal immigration. They say illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from U.S. citizens amid high unemployment and burdening public schools, jails and hospitals.

Supporters of Georgia’s measure -- House Bill 87 -- accused President Barack Obama of playing politics and ignoring federal immigration laws. Meanwhile, civil and immigrant rights activists said the federal guidelines bolster their legal arguments against HB 87. The federal policy, they said, highlights this point: Police in Georgia can arrest as many illegal immigrants as they want under the state’s new law, but it is up to the federal government to decide whether they should face deportation.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano underscored the new federal guidelines Thursday in a letter to U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. Durbin had asked her to not deport people who could be eligible for legal status under the proposed DREAM Act. That measure -- which failed in Congress last year -- would have given illegal immigrants a path to legal status if they came here as children, graduated from high school and attend college or serve in the military.

Napolitano said the administration is now giving federal officials discretion to dismiss deportation cases in certain circumstances. Napolitano added that a team of federal officials will review all deportation cases “to ensure that they constitute our highest priorities.â€