Why not?  The Obama administration has made their disinterest in pursuing prosecution for illegal immigration known well enough by now.  Why not have ICE just instruct law enforcement agencies around the country to ignore it altogether?  KGUN in Arizona has the reaction from local law-enforcement officials — including those opposed to the state’s new enforcement law — to the new policy that ICE is considering:

Letting illegal immigrants go free? Hard to believe but that could be the new federal mandate if a proposed ICE policy change is approved.

Here’s the idea: If authorities pull someone over for a traffic stop and discover they are in the country illegally, authorities would be forced to let the illegal immigrant go without calling federal agents unless the individual is a convicted felon.

Even officers opposed to SB 1070 say this would set a bad precedent. …

Even Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada, who leaned strongly against SB 1070, thinks this sort of federal policy change is suspect. “It is surprising they would make that decision. I would suspect once an individual is identified as being here illegally, some process would kick in…that would deport that person,” he said.

Yes, because once someone has been identified as breaking the law, most people would assume that the government has an interest in prosecuting the suspect.  That is, unless the government in question is led by Barack Obama, the law enforcement by Janet Napolitano, and the prosecution by Eric Holder.  One could understand a set of priorities that focused on illegal immigrants who broke other laws as well, even if some believe that kind of priority to be wrong-headed.  But ignoring obvious cases of illegal immigration?  That’s a dereliction of duty.

Senator Jon Kyl has already sent a letter to Napolitano demanding an explanation of this new policy.  Congress should hold hearings on Napolitano’s stewardship of Homeland Security and ICE, and probably will after the midterm elections replace current leadership.  If they don’t want to enforce the law, then Congress should remove them and tell President Obama to find people who will.