As the Obama administration gears up to implement its controversial amnesty plan for illegal immigrants, one administration official is assuring those who have broken U.S. immigration laws they should apply for their new status without fear of the government.
Already, community groups in some of the nation’s largest cities are holding seminars to help guide illegals toward the amnesty process, but there is still some fear in the illegal community that signing up for amnesty might lead to unwelcome government attention that could bring deportation.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Leon Rodriguez spoke to an audience in Los Angeles on Monday and assured them that it was safe to apply for amnesty.
Speaking in Spanish, Rodriguez said, “Don’t worry. Participate with confidence.”
In fact, Rodriguez has promised amnesty seekers that their information will not be shared with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal department that is responsible for the detention and deportation of illegal immigrants.
“The only circumstances under which information is shared with ICE is in the event that somebody has either a disqualifying criminal history or is somebody who we determine to pose a threat to national security,” Rodriguez said. “Otherwise that information as a matter of our protocols is kept confidential.”
Critics suspect that even criminal histories will be ignored in the President’s amnesty, as Obama has already released over 30,000 career criminals from custody. Criminals convicted of things such as drunk driving, rape, and even murder have been released back on the streets due to the administration’s lax deportation policies.
Last week, the White House announced that it was going full speed ahead with Obama’s amnesty, despite political opposition and polls that find that more Americans disapprove of the President’s actions.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.
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