Rep Mike Rogers, R-Saks, is calling for the resignation of the director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for what he describes as the "baffling" decision to release illegal immigrants due budgetary cutbacks from sequestration. Rogers, Chairman of the Strategic Forces subcommittee on the Armed Services Committee, said ICE Director John Morton should resign his position. In a letter sent to Morton, Rogers wrote, "Rather than reducing administrative staffing, cutting overhead, or taking other action to balance statutory detention requirements against budget mandates, ICE chose to release criminals directly onto the streets of our communities. "The Department's justification for this action is that these individuals will remain in a monitoring program while deportation proceedings are on-going. It baffles me that you and the administration believe that someone who has already committed at least one crime by entering this country illegally would actually participate in a monitored release program for their own deportation." Rogers said Morton's latest move "was the last straw for me." "It is baffling he would put potentially dangerous illegal immigrants back on the streets in communities across the country. Americans deserve better than that and I think it is time he finds other employment," he said. Rogers is the latest to join the chorus questioning Morton's actions in releasing an unknown number of detained immigrants to what ICE described as a less-costly supervised release program. Last week, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, sent a letter to Morton asking why the releases occurred. "Congress mandated and provided resources to maintain 34,000 bed spaces for illegal immigrant detainees. As of last week, ICE reported 30,773 spaces filled, in clear violation of statute. I am also concerned that these releases were undertaken without notification to the appropriate Congressional oversight committees," McCaul wrote. Morton was asked to provide the total number of people released, any numbers and dates for future releases and information on the time and reason each of the released detainees was held.

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