By Brian Bennett | Los Angeles Times
Immigration officials acknowledged Thursday that they had released 2,228 illegal immigrants from detention in February and early March, not several hundred as they previously had announced, in an effort to reduce spending in advance of mandatory budget cuts.
John Morton, director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told a House subcommittee hearing that four of those discharged were rearrested after agents discovered they had violent criminal records.
At least six others had felony convictions or had repeatedly violated immigration laws, Morton said, and dozens more had been arrested for shoplifting and petty larceny, or cited for drunk driving. Like the others released, they must report in regularly or wear a GPS tracking device.
Morton said the detainees were let out of jails and detention facilities between Feb. 9 and March 1 for “solely budgetary reasons,” not for political considerations.
Continued: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-immigration-releases-20130315,0,5801719.story
