Tag: ICE chief John Morton

Despite State Concerns, U.S. Presses Ahead with Secure Communities

DHS says existing agreements with states to operate the immigration enforcement program are no longer needed. States have no choice but to share their fingerprint databases with the federal authorities.

The Morton Memo on Immigration Enforcement: What About Gay Families?

In his weekly column, Erwin de Leon looks at a recent memo from the head of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and its potential impact on gay binational couples.

Immigration Agency Denies Deportation Quotas After Memo Is Leaked

ICE chief John Morton quickly denied the agency sets quotas for deportations, after a Washington Post story revealed an internal memo stating just that.

News Analysis: ICE Chief Promises Efficiency, Continued Tough Enforcement of Immigration Laws

On his first visit to Los Angeles, three months after becoming the chief of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), assistant secretary for Homeland Security John Morton said all his agency wants to do is become more efficient.

“We will try to apply immigration laws in a tough, smart and thoughtful manner,” said Morton to a small group of reporters invited to meet him last week as part of his tour of Southern California.

He said that if people expected ICE to stop doing its job, they would be disappointed. “That is not the point”, said Morton, who is a career prosecutor.

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Even WSJ Wants Immigration Reform, But Obama's ICE Chief Stresses Enforcement

While even such a conservative stalwart as The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page asks for comprehensive immigration reform and a stop to the Bush-era enforcement-only approach, the Obama administration’s chief of immigration enforcement has reiterated this week the government’s commitment to a hard-line approach.

At the same time, Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano will host a meeting on immigration Thursday at the White House “with advocates, religious groups, businesses and law enforcers,” The Associated Press reported.

These latest developments seem to continue the Obama administration’s pattern of talking about reform while acting on enforcement.

John Morton, ICE chief - Photo: ice.gov

John Morton, ICE chief. (Photo: ice.gov)

“We will try to apply immigration laws in a tough, smart and thoughtful manner,”* said John Morton, assistant secretary of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), during a visit to Los Angeles, according to a Spanish-language article in La Opinión by Feet in 2 Worlds contributor Pilar Marrero.

Morton signaled there will not be a stop to immigration raids.

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