John Morton, director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, makes the same general speech at all of his appearances: The Obama administration is serious about
“„This action reflects the growing dissatisfaction and concern among ICE employees and Union leaders that Director John Morton and Assistant Director Phyllis Coven have abandoned the Agency’s core mission of enforcing United States Immigration Laws and providing for public safety, and have instead directed their attention to campaigning for programs and policies related to amnesty and the creation of a special detention system for foreign nationals that exceeds the care and services provided to most United States citizens similarly incarcerated.
“„Of course, the administration’s strategy is not to convert anti-illegal immigration crusaders, but to build a reputation with moderate voters on immigration enforcement in the face of criticism about the Justice Department’s challenge of Arizona’s new immigration law. At its core, that statute was an attempt to buttress lax federal enforcement. The surging popularityof Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who signed the law, coupled with a waveof campaign ads invoking the issue, suggests that immigration, perennially a secondary matter in general elections, may be a core issue for more voters than usual this year. With Morton’s public relations tour, the administration offers Congressional Democrats fodder to change the debate.