House Judiciary Committee to Hold DHS Oversight Hearing

Press Release

On Tuesday, July 14, 2015 at 10:00 a.m., Secretary Jeh Johnson will testify before the House Judiciary Committee at an oversight hearing on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The hearing will largely examine the Department's lack of enforcement of our nation's immigration laws.

Specifically, the Committee will examine the use and abuse of "prosecutorial discretion" and "administrative legalization" by DHS's component agencies U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the implementation of the unilateral actions taken by President Obama in November 2014. Recently, the Department implemented its new, untested Priority Enforcement Program, which replaces the successful Secure Communities program, allows significant numbers of criminal aliens to remain in the United States, and authorizes sanctuary city policies that endanger public safety.

Below is a statement from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) on this oversight hearing.

Chairman Goodlatte: "The Department of Homeland Security is supposed to protect our country but under the Obama Administration it has let Americans down. President Obama and political appointees at DHS have routinely taken unilateral actions that weaken the interior enforcement of our nation's immigration laws. Collectively, these actions undermine the integrity of our immigration system, threaten national security, and needlessly endanger American lives. Just recently, we were reminded that the Obama Administration's reckless actions, such as permitting sanctuary city policies, lead to tragic and deadly consequences.

"At tomorrow's hearing, members of the Committee will examine the Department's abysmal record on immigration enforcement and seek answers as to why the Administration refuses to crack down on sanctuary cities. We must put an end to policies that needlessly endanger public safety."

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