ImmigrationICE agents tell senators to go slow on in immigration reform

Chris Crane, the head of the union  representing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, has asked the bipartisan group of senators, known as the Gang of 8, which is working on immigration reform to allow ICE agents to offer their input.

USA Todayreports that Crane wrote a letter to the eight senators earlier this week saying that they should talk to ICE agents before completing their proposal. The National ICE Council, which represents more than 7,000 deportation agents, has always had a rocky relationship with the Obama administration, and Crane said in his letter that the administrations leadership has undermined agent’s ability to enforce immigration laws.

The union has also taken offense to Obama’s administrative changes, which include changing enforcement tactics to target criminal immigrants and those who are considered security threats.

“Any comprehensive immigration bill would have enormous consequences for our officers and for the citizens we protect,” Crane wrote in the letter obtained by USA Today. “One of our chief concerns is that our current political leadership, particularly Director Morton and Secretary Napolitano, have repeatedly undermined our ability to enforce duly enacted immigration law.

“We are concerned that ICE and DHS have not been forthright with the American public regarding the criminal records of many of the aliens it released. These practices and others like them clearly place the public at risk and should be investigated thoroughly before any major immigration changes are implemented.”

Crane sent the letter to each senator shortly after President Obama asked lawmakers to deliver an immigration package for him to sign into law by the end of next month.

Obama, however, may be optimistic on his timeline to get a bill passed. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he doubts that  a deal will get done by the end of the month.