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Homeland Security Overwhelmed By Amnesty Demands
Wednesday, January 14, 2015 12:49 PM
By: James Morrison
The Department of Homeland Security is in a "state of confusion" as it struggles with White House pressure to move aggressively on amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants, and one source told Fox News that the situation is as bad as the disastrous rollout of Obamacare in 2013.
The reported chaos at Homeland Security comes as the Republican-controlled House Wednesday approved a bill to cut off funding for Obama's executive action. The measure now goes to the Republican-controlled Senate.
The department is overwhelmed by the demands of President Barack Obama's executive action that could legalize 5 million foreigners brought to the United States as children, a Homeland Security source said. Obama's move would also allow illegal-immigrant parents of American-born citizens and of legal residents to request deferral from deportation.
"There is a state of confusion at DHS," said the source, who works in immigration enforcement. "Just like Obamacare, the administration is eager to make an announcement, but infrastructure is lacking to make it happen."
Homeland Security is desperate to hire 1,000 new employees to process applications for the program at a new office in Arlington County, Virginia, just outside Washington. But the office is basically a shell with some furniture left over from the previous government tenant.
The head of the union representing some Homeland Security employees told Fox that the move to the new office will definitely delay the department's goal of launching the program by Feb. 20.
"They want to do this in February – this is unheard of," said Ken Palinkas, president of the National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council. "I've been working in government for 15 years, and I know things don't get done on time."
Supporters of the program, however, dismissed concerns over the number of applicants that could flood the department and worries over the new office space.
"The agency knew for a long time to anticipate something coming," Wendy Feliz of the American Immigration Council told Fox.
"They have been planning and thinking and modernizing for years. I think ramping it up to five million probably won't be as hard as you think."
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has anticipated problems and is in "extensive communication" with employees who will handle the program, a department spokeswoman said.
