On Tuesday, Chris Crane, president of one of the local chapters within the union that represents 7,600 ICE border agents (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) told a House Judiciary Committee that the political influence of “illegal alien” interest groups prohibits agents from properly enforcing the law.
Crane testified as to how special interest groups have put ICE’s officers at odds with the laws they’re supposed to uphold:
The day-to-day duties of ICE agents and officers often seem in conflict with the law as ICE officers are prohibited from enforcing many laws enacted by Congress; laws they took an oath to enforce. ICE is now guided in large part by the influence of powerful special interest groups that advocate on behalf of illegal aliens. These influences have in large part eroded the order, stability, and effectiveness of the agency, creating confusion among all ICE employees. For the last four years it has been a roller coaster for ICE officers with regard to who they can or cannot arrest, and which federal laws they will be permitted to enforce. Most of these directives restricting enforcement are given only verbally to prevent written evidence from reaching the public.
He went on to explain how ICE has been reduced to cleaning-up after other law enforcement agencies rather than proactively enforcing immigration laws:
Most Americans would be suprised to know that immigration agents are regularly prohibted from enforcing the two most fundamental sections of United States immigration law. According to ICE policy, in most cases immigration agents can no longer arrest persons solely for entering the United States illegally. Additionally, in most cases immigration agents cannot arrest persons solely because they have entered the United States with a visa and then overstayed that visa and failed to return to their country. Essentially, only individuals charged or convicted of very serious criminal offenses by other law enforcement agencies may be arrested or charged by ICE agents and officers for illegal entry or overstay.
RedState’s LaborUnionReport noted it was “disturbing… how ICE agents are demoralized and… hamstrung due to the influence of amnesty advocates inside and outside the Obama administration.”
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