ICE Agents Sue Over Obama's Immigration Edicts

Ten Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents are suing their own agency over Obama administration orders to focus on dangerous illegal immigrants and to defer deportations on immigrants brought to the US as children. "We are federal law enforcement officers who are being ordered to break the law," the president of an ICE employees union tells USA Today. They're asking the courts to strike down the directives, and protect the agents from reprisal for bringing the suit.

The agents will be represented by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who helped craft the controversial immigration laws in Arizona and Alabama. He is also, the AP reports, an informal adviser to Mitt Romney's campaign, and was on the committee to draft this year's official GOP platform. ICE wouldn't comment on the suit directly, but defended the administration's approach, saying that a record number of the immigrants deported last year had been convicted of other crimes. (More Immigration and Customs Enforcement stories.)