Statement from FAIR in Response to Sec. Napolitano's 'State of America's Homeland Security'

News provided by

Jan 27, 2011, 05:41 ET

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), issued the following statement in response to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano claims relating to her department's record on immigration enforcement:

"Unfortunately, in 2010, the Department of Homeland Security's record in the area of immigration enforcement did not measure up to Secretary Napolitano's claims.

"In the area of border enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appears to be taking credit for outcomes that had nothing to do with the department's actions, and which occurred in spite of the Obama administration's policies. The decrease in illegal border crossings has more to do with the sad state of our economy than the department's efforts at border enforcement. The decrease is also attributable to state and local efforts to reduce employment opportunities for illegal aliens and enforce immigration laws – efforts this administration tried to impede in 2010, when it sued Arizona to block implementation of SB 1070.

"DHS's own efforts in the area of worksite enforcement continue to be limited to paperwork audits of company records which result in illegal aliens shifting from one employer to the next, rather than their removal from the country. Meanwhile, the penalties the department levies against scofflaw employers remain minimal.

"Sec. Napolitano also touted the department's record of removing criminal aliens from the U.S. Deporting criminal aliens from this country is admirable, but DHS is primarily acting on cases that were already in the pipeline when this administration took office. The department's own records indicate that the number of new criminal and noncriminal cases initiated by the current administration is down sharply. At the same time, DHS has acted unilaterally to dismiss cases for removal of illegal aliens who do not have criminal records in pursuit of the administration's political goal of granting them a broad amnesty.

"It is not by accident that the American public is losing patience with the government's failure to enforce our immigration laws, or that state and local governments all across the country are acting to fill the void left by federal inaction. Glowing self-appraisals by DHS will not change the basic reality that our nation's unsecured borders and lax immigration enforcement threaten our national and economic security."

About FAIR

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 250,000 members nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced. Visit FAIR's website at www.fairus.org.

SOURCE FAIR