Senator Flake Blasts DHS Release of Detained Illegal Immigrants in Advance of Sequest

Senator Flake Blasts DHS Release of Detained Illegal Immigrants in Advance of Sequester

Releasing Hundreds of Detainees a Misguided Move to Rein in Federal Spending

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Washington, D.C. – United States Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ), today railed against the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) unilateral decision to release from detention hundreds of illegal immigrants over the weekend. DHS claims that by releasing these detainees, their intent was to make certain that the “detained population” of those who had crossed the border illegally is “in line with federal funding.” This action occurred shortly after DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano stated that as a result of the impending sequester, DHS “would not be able to maintain the 34,000 detention beds as required by Congress."

“With more than $1 trillion in budget deficits, there are many opportunities to rein in federal spending. Releasing hundreds of detainees who have violated the law is most certainly not one of them,” said Flake. “This was a deeply misguided move by DHS.”

Senator Jeff Flake