Brewer: Immigrant Detention Release ‘Pure Political Posturing’

The decision by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release a wave of undocumented immigrants from detention centers ahead of potential spending cuts from the sequester is “pure political posturing,” according to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer.

The conservative firebrand said the move “represents a return to exactly the kind of catch-and-release procedures that have long made a mockery of our country’s immigration system,” according to the Associated Press.

“I’m appalled to learn the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has begun to release hundreds of illegal aliens from custody, the first of potentially thousands to soon be freed under the guise of federal budget cuts,” she said in a statement to Arizona’s ABC 15.

The announcement by ICE came Monday that it had taken a number of cases into account and decided to release undocumented immigrants from detention centers who were either non-criminals or low-level offenders. The move would keep them in the system of deportation while using alternatives to detention that are less costly.