Four Republican senators on Wednesday charged that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has failed to answer questions from Congress about whether her agency is property enforcing the nation's immigration laws.
The senators said they feared Napolitano's department was trying to conceal information from the public,
The Hill reports.
"Your failure to respond to our oversight request is deeply troubling, and suggests that your Department is attempting to conceal information from the American people," Sens. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Iowa’s Chuck Grassley, Orrin Hatch of Utah and Pat Roberts of Kansas said in a letter to Napolitano, The Hill reports.
"Congress and the American people have the right to a serious, prompt, and complete response to our questions."
The senators had written Napolitano in August with about whether the department is properly assessing whether immigrants are likely to require government assistance.
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), officials are required to deny US entry to immigrants who are likely to need federal aid.
The August letter developed after reports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture was encouraging Mexican citizens to immigrate to the U.S. and enroll in the federal food stamp program, The Hill reports.
The senators said this appeared to violate the INA, and said government appeared to only be assessing whether immigrants would need help under the Supplemental Security Income and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families programs, not dozens of other programs like food stamps.
The senators had asked Napolitano to reply to their questions by Aug. 20. They now have asked for answers by Oct. 1, The Hill reports.
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