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Budget cuts to lead to release of more illegal immigrants

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    Sequester forces hand of Department of Homeland Security

  • Duration 5:26
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The senator is now demanding answers from the Homeland Security Department.

After secretary in a volatile promises that more illegal immigrants will be released.

Because of these budget cuts here -- secretary -- -- -- -- -- -- yesterday.

We -- going to manage our way through this.

By identifying the lowest risk detainees and putting them into some kind of alternative to release the defense related to sequester it's not -- several hundred are related to sequester but it wasn't thousands it's gonna.

Continue I -- for the foreseeable future yes.

And Arizona senator Jeff Blake wants to know how those releases will affect his state of Arizona and he joins me now senator good morning good to see you again.

Thanks for me on so what what do you make of what -- volatile as saying here that that because of the -- they have no choice but to release hundreds.

These detainees.

And that more -- likely to come.

Well we just don't know we don't know how many some report a couple thousand she says that several hundred.

What we do know is that there seem to be no coordination whatsoever with the state and local officials.

Curators local sheriff would you want to know if -- ice is releasing detainees into your community.

That's what's really bothersome here as a lack of coordination.

The lack of planning.

And and little information for for public officials to know what to do.

Yeah I mean there -- so many mixed signals here.

About who gave this this order to start this process.

Ice said you know they weren't really sure where it came from and and -- under homeland security's so and a half how does that work out.

I hope we don't know that either it it does seem confusing it seems that nobody wants to take.

The blame for this action and they're they're still a lot of finger pointing as to who who ordered it who.

Is going to carry it out what's gonna happen in the future we just know very little and you know if if things have to be done the budget then.

Come to us or at least talk to local officials and -- them -- who's been released.

You know when they're coming back.

What kind of release it is -- they have ankle bracelets what kind of detention she says there are alternatives to detention.

What -- those alternatives.

What kind of money is -- saving.

And we just don't know these -- -- really been led to believe that when it comes to illegal immigrants only -- the truly dangerous where were being locked up.

And then that people if they were in the country illegally in our minor infractions that that they would not be in -- so now being told that of those truly dangerous who had to be incarcerated.

They're releasing those who are the least dangerous to society cents -- that doesn't seem to really add up either doesn't.

They did doesn't that's an excellent point that we don't know what charges have been brought against these individuals.

We don't know what kind of priority they're working through.

They just haven't told anybody and like I said they have not even coordinated with the local law enforcement you'd think at a minimum.

That's what they would do but that's not been done here.

Have the choices that are being made in terms of where this money is being cot in out if there are things that are being done and we've heard everything from you know an aircraft carrier that was that wasn't able to be -- -- To these people who are being let out because they can't be held anymore as result of sequester.

So adding yeah obviously a lot of folks would have liked to have the opportunity is say well let's let's keep let's use that money to keep these people incarcerated if they're dangerous.

And let's cut from some place else but that that capsule on have a fat right.

Yes and then we have the senate today -- the Republicans in the senate back we passed legislation last week to give the president more flexibility in this regard.

We all know that there's a lot of waste there -- a lot of programs that that we can cut and if they don't have the flexibility they need that flexibility.

And please ask -- for it will be glad to give it.

But but this is a situation where it looks as like in other areas.

They're choosing to make cuts that will.

Move congress to do this or that rather than what is -- actually save taxpayers money.

What -- We should be you're saying that they they're making these cuts because they want -- -- to look fat.

I think that it if you look at some of the other cuts that have been made -- announcements that have been made about cuts whether they're happening or not.

It's tough to conclude otherwise that that they're they're looking to push congress in one direction or another.

And this continues and -- gets worse say the president told us basically that.

You know you wouldn't feel some of the impact of this for quite some time so how much -- is a cat.

Well I I I think we can expect in certain areas -- -- to be quite an impact a lot of the areas they impact is that exaggerated quite a bit.

All I know isn't you know we're talking about two point 7% cut across all of government in some areas it's more concentrated than that.

But what we do know is we've got to make -- it serious and significant cuts.

And the notion that we're gonna -- Some of these cuts with spending her -- -- tax increases that's just a non starter.

As it should be on Capitol Hill.

The credit agencies say they want more cuts to -- the -- wasn't enough to stem -- -- as far as they're concerned we'll see.

Senator flake always good to see you from Arizona thank you -- lots.

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