By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Late last week Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that she was resigning from her position. U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R) from Alabama has been a vocal critic of Napolitano’s performance as Secretary of the Homeland Security Department including her interpretation of immigration law and her enforcement of border security provisions. Sen. Sessions took a harsh tone on the announcement that Secretary Napolitano was leaving.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), “Secretary Napolitano’s tenure at the Department of Homeland Security was defined by a consistent disrespect for the rule of law.”
Sen. Sessions continued. “The resignation of Secretary Napolitano should refocus the attention of Congress on its first task: to ensure that the executive branch faithfully carries out the laws of the land. The most significant obstacle to immigration reform remains President Obama’s selective enforcement of the law. Any selection—interim or permanent—to replace Secretary Napolitano must disavow these aggressive non-enforcement directives or there is very little hope for successful immigration reform.”
Sen. Sessions concluded, “Whoever replaces Secretary Napolitano must restore the rule of law, as well as the morale of ICE officers which has plummeted under her tenure.”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officers have claimed in a federal lawsuit that Napolitano and her subordinates have interpreted and implemented policies which effectively prevents them from carrying out their duties to hunt down and deport illegal aliens that are in this country. Sen. Sessions has been a staunch supporter of the ICE agents and their union against the bureaucrats in ICE and Homeland Security.
Sen. Session has used Napolitano’s controversial tenure as Secretary of Homeland Security as a reason why immigration reform should not pass. Sessions’ argument is that if the administration refuses to enforce immigration laws that are already on the books, why can we trust them to implement new homeland security measures in a new immigration bill?
Sen. Sessions is a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
