(WASHINGTON TIMES) The Obama administration’s top deportation official acknowledged on Tuesday that he could have asked Congress for flexibility to avoid having to release more than 2,000 immigrants back onto the streets ahead of the budget sequesters, but he decided the releases were a better option.
John Morton, director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also said that some of those he has had to release have multiple drunk-driving offenses on their record, since those are not considered level one cases. He did not provide exact numbers.
Mr. Morton’s decision to release 2,228 immigrants over a three-week period in February has become a major flashpoint in the debate over sequestration — the automatic budget cuts that took effect March 1.
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