Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano went before a House committee run by a bunch of Republicans who oppose her politics and her policies, so we can forgive the secretary for getting testy, but deleting her department’s web site devoted to enforcement success stories is petty and stupid.
Napolitano was asked by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-La.) why if she was so opposed to agreements between the feds and state and local governments to enforce immigration laws, there was a web site devoted to success stories of cooperation between these government entities. “I would tell the people who are working on the website, take it down,” Napolitano said in response to Goodlatte. And before the hearing ended the website was gone.
This is not only childish – to hide the successful enforcement of federal immigration laws — but just a short time ago Napolitano and President Obama were touting the fact that their immigration enforcement was going to focus on prosecuting and deporting the most dangerous illegal aliens, which is exactly what the web site was touting.
So not only does Napolitano seem petty but she is also demonstrating how little respect she has for any laws — the ones she supposedly supports and those she doesn’t.
That was red meat to Rep Steve King (R-Iowa), who told Napolitano to get a lawyer.
“I do not [accept the use of prosecutorial discretion] when it deals with a work permit that’s ordered to be issued that doesn’t exist in the United States Code. That is the province of Congress. So I thank you for being here today, but we will see each other down the line in litigation.”
Hiding proper enforcement and refusing to enforce other laws. All in a day’s work for our head of homeland security. Now don’t we all feel safer?