Rick Perry CPAC Address Accuses Obama Of Allowing 'Federally-Sponsored Jailbreak'

Perry Addresses CPAC

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) accused President Barack Obama of endangering the public as a political strategy by releasing undocumented immigrants from detention ahead of sequestration budget cuts.

"This president's posture, it'd be laughable if he hadn't taken it one step too far, dangerously releasing criminals onto our streets to make a political point," he said at CPAC. "When you have a federally-sponsored jailbreak -- and don't get confused, that's exactly what that is -- when you've had a federally-sponsored jailbreak, you've crossed the line from politics of spin to politics as a craven form of cynicism."

Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in late February that its agents had released "several hundred" people from detention, citing concerns over the budget. Earlier Thursday, ICE officials acknowledged that more than 2,000 people were released in the final three weeks of February. Those let out of detention were still kept in deportation proceedings.

The White House and even Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano denied involvement in the decision, and said it came from career officials who were concerned about looming budget cuts.

Below, a liveblog of the latest updates from CPAC:

Before You Go

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.)

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