Tense Exchange Erupts After Rep. Trey Gowdy Goes After DHS, ICE for Releasing ‘Aggravated Felons’ Due to Sequestration
Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-SC. Credit: AP
During a House Judiciary Committee
hearing on Tuesday, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) grilled ICE Director John
Morton and DHS officials about the release of thousands of illegal
immigrants from detention, including Level I violators (aggravated
felons). The Obama administration has claimed that sequestration forced
them to release the detainees.
“What is a Level I violator?” Gowdy asked Morton.
“First, obviously I disagree about your characterization about these being–” Morton began.
“That’s fine. You can use your time to
disagree with my characterization, don’t use mine. What is a Level I
violator,” Gowdy shot back.
Morton explained Level I violators are
“aggravated felons.” He added that eight Level I violators were
released, but after faulty computer records and a “mistake,” four were
put back into detention.
“If it’s $122 a day to house four Level
I aggravated felons, then releasing them saves you, what, about $600 a
day?” Gowdy pressed. “You can’t find $600 anywhere else in your budget?”
He did not get a straight answer to the question.
When asked who made the decision to
release the detainees, Morton said ICE Executive Associate Director Gary
Mead made the call. However, Morton argued that to the best of his
knowledge, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was not part of
the decision to release the illegal immigrants.
“If the release of aggravated felons
does not rise to the level of something that the secretary of the
Department of Homeland Security should know about, what does rise to
that level?” Gowdy said.
“Listen, we release people everyday…We
release thousands of people every month,” Morton replied, later
admitting that “many” illegal immigrants who are repeat DUI offenders
have also been released.
Watch Gowdy take Morton to task over the release of detainees below:
The congressman from South Carolina also grilled DHS officials. Watch the interaction:
This story has been updated.
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