Steve Henry, the Chief Deputy Sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona, called the Obama administration’s deportation record “a travesty,” after a new report revealed that the Department of Homeland Security released 68,000 illegal aliens convicted of crimes in 2013.
Henry spoke with Fox News’ Neil Cavuto about the report on Monday, becoming Arizona’s second high-ranking law enforcement officer to challenge the White House’s immigration narrative on national television. Last week Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the top law-enforcement officer for neighboring Maricopa County, accused the Obama administration of using “smoke and mirrors” to obscure the true number of immigrants actually deported (RELATED: Sheriff Joe Arpaio: Obama admin’s deportation numbers ‘smoke and mirrors’ [VIDEO]).
“Well essentially what happened is, the federal government once again hasn’t done their job,” Henry began. “And it’s truly what you said. It’s a travesty. Each and every day law enforcement — especially here in Arizona — goes out and fights this battle that the federal government is supposed to be fighting.”
“And we put ourselves at risk for the good of the country,” he continued. “And if 68,000 out of 722,000 could’ve been deported in 2013, it’s just amazing.”
Henry said he wasn’t surprised, noting that whistleblowers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol said as much early last year. “We reached out to the Secretary [of Homeland Security] back then, and you know, it was crickets,” he claimed.
The deputy sheriff said that many of the illegal criminals his county turns over to ICE are released through a “revolving door.”
“We call it ‘in through the out door,'” he said, explaining that even many violent criminals are released into the United States ‘temporarily’ until a court date can be set for their sentencing and deportation.
“The federal government believes that if you give someone who doesn’t have standing in the country, doesn’t have any anchor in this country, that if they sign a piece of paper with a promise to appear at a future court date — and maybe or maybe not you put an electronic bracelet on their ankle — that they’re going to come back,” he scoffed. “I beg to differ. Come on, really? We know it doesn’t work.”
“I mean it’s just disingenuous,” he continued. “Um, you know . . . without getting political, it just doesn’t work.”
“We arrested a gentleman last week that had been deported 14 times, Neil,” Henry later added. “So if he can come across the border 14 times — to smuggle marijuana by the way, he had over a couple hundred pounds — what else is coming across the border?”
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