Secretary Napolitano's Resignation Offers Opportunity for Accountability on Immigration Enforcement, Says FAIR

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Jul 12, 2013, 04:15 ET

WASHINGTON, July 12, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following statement was issued by Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) in response to today's announcement of the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano:

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"Secretary Napolitano's departure from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) offers a new opportunity to restore the integrity of U.S. immigration laws.

"Over the past four and a half years, Sec. Napolitano has served the Obama administration's political objective of dismantling U.S. immigration enforcement at the expense of her sworn obligation to carry out the laws of this nation and protect the security of the homeland. Under her watch, the Obama administration's policy of selective enforcement not only undermined the integrity of our immigration laws, but the Legislative Branch's constitutional authority to make our laws.

"Sec. Napolitano's refusal to enforce numerous immigration laws undermined the very premise of the agency she headed. Just 18 months into her tenure, she lost the confidence of the career law enforcement professionals serving in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) bureau who openly criticized policies that prevented them from enforcing the nation's immigration laws.

"In appointing a successor, President Obama must choose someone who can command the confidence of the people who enforce our immigration laws and restore the trust of the American people. As numerous members of Congress have pointed out – including leading members of the president's own party – the American public does not trust DHS to enforce our immigration laws at the border, in the interior of the country, or in the workplace.

"It is now up to the United States Senate to dutifully exercise its constitutional role of advice and consent to ensure that whoever is appointed to replace her is committed to carrying out the laws enacted by Congress. The confirmation process for Sec. Napolitano's successor must include explicit commitments that all immigration laws will be faithfully, fairly, and uniformly applied, not just those that suit the administration's political aims."

SOURCE FAIR