Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano had no part in a decision by underlings to release low-risk illegal immigrant detainees as a way to save money before the sequestration and was surprised to learn about it, Napolitano told ABC News in an exclusive interview.
“Detainee populations and how that is managed back and forth is really handled by career officials in the field,” Napolitano said.
Napolitano added that the release, which has been criticized by congressional Republicans, was poorly timed.
“Do I wish that this all hadn’t been done all of a sudden and so that people weren’t surprised by it? Of course,” she said.
When asked why the detainees were in jail in the first place, Napolitano replied, “That’s a good question. I’ve asked the same question myself … so we’re looking into it.”