{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://aderholt.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/aderholt-questions-assistant-secretary-morton-fy13-immigration-and", "Aderholt Questions Assistant Secretary Morton on FY13 Immigration and Customs Enforcement Budget", "2012-03-08", "2012", "2012-03", "Republican", "House", "AL", "Robert B. Aderholt", "A000055", "aderholt.house.gov", "aderholt", "https://aderholt.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Demands Answers on Secure Communities, Detention Beds and Administration\u2019s Failure to Enforce Nation\u2019s Immigration Laws\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-04), Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on the House Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement after Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) John Morton testified before the Subcommittee regarding ICE\u2019s priorities and FY13 budget request.\n\n\u201cUnderstanding Immigration and Customs Enforcement\u2019s role is vital to our nation\u2019s security and public safety, this Subcommittee has made immigration enforcement funding a clear priority,\u201d said Aderholt. \u201cThe proof is in the dollars provided above and beyond past year\u2019s requests, bolstering funding for frontline operations, detention bed space and the Secure Communities program to ensure ICE has the tools to enforce the laws of the land. Despite continued support from this Subcommittee, the Administration is disguising their clear political agenda to diminish immigration enforcement, by claiming \u2018limited resources\u2019 as an excuse to ignore the law.\u201d\n\n\u201cDespite heated discourse over immigration enforcement and reform policy, this Subcommittee has not been bogged down with politics. Instead we have focused on the resources needed to enforce the letter of the law and meet ICE\u2019s vital missions. The problem is clearly not a lack of funding, but rather a lack of will in enforcing the law and utilizing the resources this Subcommittee has provided.\u201d\n\n\u201cLast year we provided funding for 34,000 detention beds, the highest level in history, but despite the expansion of Secure Communities into new jurisdictions as well as a large known illegal population, ICE has failed to fill those beds. Last year the Administration committed resources to the abuse of prosecutorial direction and interference in immigration proceedings. Last year this Subcommittee also provided funding for the expansion of the Secure Communities program, but despite plenty of dollars the program is being needlessly and politically delayed in my home state of Alabama.\u201d\n\n\u201cICE has been giving the money to enforce the immigration laws of the land. Now it is time for ICE to do its job. Not enforcing the law puts lives in jeopardy and cannot be tolerated,\u201d concluded Aderholt.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T21:10:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://aderholt.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/aderholt-questions-assistant-secretary-morton-fy13-immigration-and"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7156499195843935, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}