Oklahoma Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond said Wednesday at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing that the Biden administration's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will require state authorities to release illegal aliens linked to crimes into the community. He testified that he instructed him to do so.
The hearing focused on the impeachment proceedings against DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, during which Drummond announced that federal authorities are asking state law enforcement to stop illegal drug raids at the active request of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He outlined a case in which he ordered the release of an illegal immigrant involved in a crime. ) for his arrest. DHS Secretary instructed Federal immigration authorities were ordered in September 2021 to exercise “prosecutorial discretion” when conducting enforcement actions, and actions should be limited to threats to “national security, public safety, and border security.” He said that. (Related: Exclusive: Undocumented immigrant deported four times for killing mother and son in Colorado drunk driving crash)
“In a recent illegal drug bust, [marijuana] During the expansion operation, our agents were processing people with felonies in custody and people who were simply being labor and sex trafficked, and one of them was an undocumented HSI. Identified as a detainee. He was supposed to be in Flushing, New York, and he was supposed to have his ankle monitor on,” Gentner said.
“When we contacted the HSI field representative, he said, 'If you charge us with a felony, we'll come get you,' even though he didn't actually commit a felony. to report to the nearest HSI field office, and that's how we released him,” Gentner said.
The number of encounters with illegal immigrants at the southern border exceeded 2 million in fiscal year 2023, while ICE agents conducted 142,580 deportations.
Mr. Mayorkas instructed federal immigration officials that they should not take action just because an individual is “deportable.” according to Notes for September 2021.
“Things like this happen every day across the state of Oklahoma, and the state of Oklahoma cannot afford to detain people who are in the country illegally and who we know are committing or participating in crimes.” Gentner said.
Oklahoma state officials said federal authorities have directed local authorities to release illegal aliens arrested by ICE detainees who were involved in an illegal marijuana cultivation operation.
“It happens every day in Oklahoma.” pic.twitter.com/Fu0KRbzJli
— Jennie Taer🇮🇱🇺🇸 (@JennieSTaer) January 10, 2024
The impeachment proceedings have focused on Mayorkas' handling of the situation at the southern border and immigration enforcement in the interior.
“DHS numbers show that well over 3 million undocumented aliens have been released into our country under Secretary Mayorkas’s watch. Considering the 1.8 million known fugitives, this roughly the population of South Carolina,” House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Greene said in his opening statement at Wednesday's hearing.
Greene is overseeing impeachment proceedings in the House and has been conducting a months-long investigation into Mayorkas over his handling of the southern border.
“Secretary Mayorkas has not only refused to detain these people, he has made it nearly impossible for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to remove them. His policies have undermined ICE's ability to detain and remove illegal aliens. It was severely limited,” Green said.
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