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Risch Presses Obama Officials on Immigrant Minors

Number of unaccompanied minors increased dramatically since executive order in 2012

July 17, 2014

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jim Risch today pressed administration officials on the fallout of President Obama’s 2012 executive order that has encouraged a flood of unaccompanied minors into the United States. The President’s executive order instructed the Department of Homeland Security to no longer initiate the deportation of illegal immigrants who came to the United States before age 16.
 
Risch made reference to a graph that shows the annual apprehensions of unaccompanied minors into the United States from 2009 to June 2014 and the explosion of minors since 2012.

Following the hearing, Risch said “Commonsense tells us, the president would do well to immediately, publicly, and loudly rescind his executive order of 2012. That action would reverse the flood of unaccompanied illegal immigrant children to the United States, since it was that executive order that unleashed this flood.”

The exchange took place at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on “Dangerous Passage: Central America in Crisis and the Exodus of Unaccompanied Minors.” The administration witnesses addressed were Thomas Shannon, Counselor of the Department at U.S. Department of State and Bruce Swartz, Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Video of the exchange can be found via YouTube or FTP link below.
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JorrgWLky0&feature=youtu.be FTP Link: RischImmigrationSFRC71714.mp4  
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