Politics behind release of hundreds of illegal immigrants?

This transcript is automatically generated

We're doing our very best to minimize the impacts of sequester but there's only so much I can do.

You know I'm supposed to have 34000.

Detention beds for immigration how do -- pay for those.

We don't even you know all day have released -- what they had been times when only from the administration has contacted my Homeland Security division.

No one has contacted my office no -- has reached out and obviously they don't know what the heck.

It's going on because they didn't know anything about it media Wile who is running this country.

They pose no risk to -- society.

And they were not simply released into society but rather they were placed in IE alternatives.

Detention program which is proven to be -- very secure.

Our program with the success rate of over 90%.

Well this is interest things some illegal immigrants released by immigration and customs enforcement put out statement.

-- Tuesday claiming that the budget cuts mandated by the sequester promised promised.

This release prompted rather this release of inmates and a number of different states.

The White House said they didn't.

Ordered this this is how Jay Carney responded to questions.

This was a decision made by career officials at ice without any input from the White House as a result of fiscal uncertainty.

Over the continuing resolution as well as possible sequestration all of these individuals remain.

In removal proceedings possible -- some of them might not be brought back here well again I'm afraid -- I don't think this a conversation that I can help you with in the specifics.

OK with that will bring in our pal Steve Hayes senior writer for the weekly standard Mara Liasson national political correspondent of national public radio syndicated columnist Charles -- -- Steve thoughts.

Well it's certainly an interesting day in the White House is running as fast and as far as they can away from the claim that that came because of the sequestered and -- as he saw on.

I'm career officials.

Look I think we may be reaching a point in this whole debate where things are turning against the White House pretty pretty quickly.

-- had prominent piece in the Washington Post today.

Suggesting that education secretary Arnie Duncan wasn't being honest when he said that teachers were getting pink slips all across the country when he was pressed on that.

And when the post's Karen penalty and others investigated it turns out of basically just wasn't true and they wrote a piece it's yes that some of the the claims made by the White House are being -- he had the New York Times today.

-- story in which they wondered whether the president was going to emerge as the that the president who cried wolf.

Do you have Bob -- were not only challenging the claims of the administration but.

Saying in effect the White House this is threatening to come after me you know that saying that the president would be disappointed.

If he knew that this was happening this feels like it's spinning out of control for the White House here and if this is the beginning of a longer analysis.

What exactly these cuts -- in and we know that they're going to be sort of gradually introduced.

Does the White House just lose any remaining credibility it has.

On this question of spending going into a long and and significant debate on budgets you're gonna have the house Republican budget next month you're gonna have the senate democratic budget next month.

And the white house budget next month not good timing if this doesn't -- -- Tomorrow on this specific story of the release you -- the White House and ice officials saying that this is a supervised.

Release.

And Arizona sheriff responding to that possible.

Or this idea of supervised release is laughable these are all people who are multiple border cross hairs.

They could never stopped them crossing an international border how on earth are they gonna provide supervised release and supervision over these criminals.

Well first of all this could be an argument over -- the release of any.

Illegal immigrants who were who were detained.

However I think the big question is the charge against the White House is they're doing this to make the sequester look worse than it really is.

And I don't think based on what we know about how this happened that there was some kind of -- you know -- strategy where ice was told to release them in order to do that however there will be plenty of stories like this on the Republican strategy during -- sequester is to point out at every time how a certain cut didn't have to be made.

How instead of doing X the president could have done why.

And that's what Republicans are gonna have to prove that that he had the flexibility -- -- made a choice to do something that was less onerous or less ever made more sense.

And the White House is saying our hands are completely -- we have to cut a certain percentage of every single program completely across the board.

So I think we're gonna see this as a sequester unfolds and the big question you mention all those budgets going on the table on April big question is.

Do enough Americans feel so much pain because of these cuts that they're gonna demand something changed or will this.

Appear to be exaggerated by the White House not so terrible.

And then we go forward.

The other thing is and has been charged by several Republicans on the hill that this is -- political tied to the immigration issue and it's -- to.

The politics of immigration.

Well if it is -- it is really Smart because a lot of people who disagree on which you do about eleven million illegal aliens in the country browsing anybody.

One stampede the praises of people who each of the border are being held.

-- we don't really know how they're -- -- I think it's laughable to assume they're often show up.

Under this alternate status you know.

And that Craig good citizens here -- people who have multiple occasions have crossed the border.

Which means every time they've been -- deported -- cross into Mexico they tried again and now that there in the US.

And release the ideas -- -- -- show up.

And allow themselves.

To be re arrest that I think that's highly unlikely.

I think the major issue here isn't only within the amount of pain and disruption but well -- I will be the action American people.

-- Argument would be that people have a sense of the government is immensely wasteful.

They've heard about the GAO conference.

-- -- Vegas where you have a guy to the martini.

They have an instinctive knowledge of what happens when you -- -- get your driver's license.

It isn't as if everybody is she you know acting snap -- as an advantage if you it's a whole different proposition people have this notion.

That if you closing essential services there has got to be a lot of bad faith in that and that you wanted to you are deliberately doing that.

Where you -- as you've had a lot of good choices so I'm not sure will translate immediately.

Against the Republicans I think it could actually rebelled against the administration.

If people imagine as in this case that it did it could be acting.

In bad faith and deliberately.

Making things really bad.

Watch Live

Politics behind release of hundreds of illegal immigrants?

Details

Clips

Latest News

War on terror at a crossroads

White House investigates, intimidates the press

IRS under fire: Few answers from agency, administration

Oklahoma citizens remain resilient

Trace Adkins talks Red Cross

Former WH secretary Mike McCurry graduates from seminary

Jodi Arias: Justice delayed or justice denied?

Should the IRS be trusted with Obamacare?

Critics question union influence amid IRS scandal

IRS scandal fueling new calls for flat tax

Unions backing away from ObamaCare?

Government jobs as certain as death and taxes?

Transcript

Recommended