Rumors have been swirling lately that ICE officials have been delaying the implementation of the Obama administration's recent updates to its deportation policy. Here's a report:
By Michael O'Connell
January 16, 2012
A squabble is brewing between Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the union that represents its rank and file agents.
At issue is the training that needs to be conducted so ICE can implement the Obama Administration's new approach to deportations of illegal immigrants. That policy calls for the agency's scarce deportation resources to be focused on the most dangerous criminal aliens, rather than having ICE deport every illegal immigrant it comes across.
The New York Times reported last week that ICE's union was refusing to participate in the training because it opposes the new policy. But Chris Crane, president of the National ICE Council, told The Federal Drive with Tom Temin that's categorically untrue.
“The union in no way delayed the i
mplementation of the training program or the policy,” Crane said. The National ICE Council, which is part of the American Federation of Government Employees, represents Enforcement and Removal Operations officers within ICE.
“The union never contested the actual policy itself,” he said. “We simply asked for training. It's a dynamic change in what we do, regardless of what the agency says.”
According to Crane, the union has been vocal in asking for training for field managers and officers who are “completely clueless” on how to implement the administration's policy in the field. It requested that the Department of Homeland Security and ICE work with the union to execute the President's executive order. “Had we been able to work with the agency from the beginning, the training program would be ready to go right now,” he said.
ICE responds
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