This just makes my blood boil!Apparently, Sheriff's deputies in Belmont County captured 20 illegal aliens after pulling them over but had to let them go, at the insistence of Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE), because they didn't have facilities available wherein ICE could question the illegals by phone.
Congressman Ney is quoted as saying, "When they call the federal government and they say we have in our possession right now, 20 illegals, and then the federal government turns around and says let them go, it is very clear cut, this is all smoke and mirrors from the federal government. INS is not doing its job."
It has been suggested that the response from ICE has something to do with the House rejecting the Senate version of the immigration bill. That sounds a little "black helicopter conspiracy theory" to me, but it wouldn't surprise me all that much if that were the case. Entrenched bureaucrats really don't like to be shown how to do their jobs by the locals...
More Ney (via a statement received in email):
"Clearly, in both Belmont and Ross counties, our local police are doing their job and working to enforce our laws. The federal government is not. After the problem in Ross County several weeks ago, I personally spoke with a top official at INS and he assured me that our laws would be enforced. Clearly, however, that is not the case. Federal immigration officials have turned their back on local police departments in Ohio. That is outrageous and it is unacceptable.This sort of thing keeps happening. It is time that someone in ICE be held accountable.
"These problems only further highlight the importance of the U.S. Senate approving the House-passed immigration bill. The House bill focuses on border protection and the rule of law first which is precisely where our attention needs to be and not on a guest worker/amnesty program which I absolutely refuse to support. In the meantime, I will be contacting the INS yet again to ask why this Administration is still refusing to enforce our federal immigration laws."
