Obama DHS Lets ACLU Block Another Deportation

It appears that the leftwing American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) continues to call the shots at the Obama Department of Homeland Security (DHS), this month blocking the deportation of yet another illegal immigrant on the verge of being removed.

We saw a similar situation a few years ago when the scheduled deportation of an illegal alien was abruptly suspended at the request of the renowned civil rights organization, which is also running the show at the Obama Department of Justice (DOJ). In fact, Judicial Watch has obtained records that show the DOJ worked hand-in-hand with the ACLU in mounting their respective legal challenges to Arizona’s get-tough illegal immigration law.

In mid-2011 the DHS suddenly halted the deportation of an illegal immigrant arrested in a domestic violence dispute after she headlined in an ACLU-sponsored press conference advocating on her behalf. The woman had been in a county jail and identified as being in the U.S. illegally through a program called Secure Communities. The DHS agency charged with deporting illegal aliens, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), quickly reversed course and instead decided to “terminate the removal proceedings” against the woman.

In a similar move ICE did an about face this month involving the case of a California farm worker in removal proceedings after getting arrested by local police. The 38-year-old woman, Ruth Montano, is a Mexican immigrant who has lived in the U.S. illegally for 14 years. She was reportedly arrested after returning from the store with her three children because neighbors complained that her dogs were barking too loudly.

When local authorities ran her fingerprints, Montano was identified as an illegal immigrant and ICE was notified. As per federal law the agency placed a detainer on Montano and started the deportation process. In an effort to stop Montano’s deportation, the ACLU joined forces with a Latino organization that raises awareness about social justice to release a video of the case. The illegal immigrant blames racism against Hispanics for her run-in with the law.

The ACLU even issued a nifty press release on Montano’s behalf quoting the illegal immigrant, who doesn’t even speak English, as saying this: “Given my experience, I believe that the governor needs to take seriously the fact that police are treating Hispanics differently knowing that any arrest they make can lead to deportation.”

This is part of a broader ACLU-Obama administration effort to do away with, or at the very least severely weaken, Secure Communities, the program that orders federal detainers for illegal immigrants arrested by local police. The ACLU has for years fought to stop placing the holds (which ultimately result in deportation) on illegal aliens who don’t have serious criminal conviction. Because California has the nation’s highest illegal immigrant population the ACLU has been especially active in the state.