GOP invites ICE official to D.C. after brushoff
by Jon Gillooly
jgillooly@mdjonline.com The Marietta Daily Journal
12.11.10 - 12:00 am
MARIETTA — Unhappy with an initial brush-off response, U.S. Reps. Phil Gingrey (R-Marietta) and Tom Price (R-Roswell), along with other GOP members of Georgia’s congressional delegation, have asked to meet with a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement secretary to determine how to better roll out a program that counteracts illegal immigration.

The congressmen, at the urging of anti-illegal immigration activist D.A. King of Marietta, asked ICE in an Oct. 13 letter to speed up the implementation of the fingerprinting program called Secure Communities.

But in a Nov. 17 response, Elliot Williams, ICE’s assistant director for congressional relations, indicated ICE would not grant the request. So the lawmakers in a Thursday letter invited John Morton, ICE’s assistant secretary, to Capitol Hill for a meeting.

“We know that you fully understand the issue at hand and would like to better assist you in implementing this initiative more swiftly and more efficiently,â€