Janet Napolitano, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, announced last Friday that she will be resigning from her position in September. Secretary Napolitano will take a new position as the President of the University of California system. She has been the Secretary of DHS since January, 2009.
During her time as the head of the DHS, Napolitano has been in the middle of many controversies, drawing criticism from both ends of the political spectrum for her major role in illegal immigration. One the one hand, she supported provisions of the DREAM Act, enacting some of its policies to stop deportations for young undocumented immigrants who meet certain criteria, despite the bill never being passed through Congress.
On the other hand, she has overseen a record number of deportations of illegal immigrants. Many immigration advocates and non-profit groups have called for a delay of this activity. Now that Napolitano has resigned, the question is: Should all deportations be suspended until President Obama finds a new Secretary for DHS?
This is unlikely to happen because Napolitano will remain at her post until September, giving President Obama plenty of time to find a new Secretary. However, this will be a major change, regardless of who the new leader is. Additionally, the director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), John Morton, has also resigned from his position. All of these changes are happening while Congress is in the middle of a heated immigration debate. The Senate did its part to pass a Comprehensive bill, but the House is avoiding voting on it and has started to pass its own bills.
2013 will be a big year for immigration, with many changes to come. Now, someone new will be implementing the new immigration laws. Many are already speculating about who will be the new Secretary, and some Lawmakers are already campaigning for their favorite candidates.
Immigration Laws play a huge role in the daily lives of many residents in the United States. Shouldn’t the Obama Administration and the DHS delay any more deportations until the Immigration system is all sorted out?
Tell us what you think in the comments below!
Read Janet Napolitano’s statement on her resignation from the Department of Homeland Security.