Arizona officials — from the statehouse to Capitol Hill — were outraged on
Tuesday at the Obama administration’s release of hundreds of illegal immigrants
held in local jails to save money as huge budget cuts loom.
“I’m appalled
to learn the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has begun to release hundreds
of illegal aliens from custody, the first of potentially thousands to soon be
freed under the guise of federal budget cuts,” said Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who
has long battled the White House on immigration matters. “This is pure political
posturing and the height of absurdity, given that the releases are being granted
before the federal sequestration cuts have even gone into
effect.”