ms. saldana. congress is responsible. we are responsible, and i think there is a solution out there. i think we've got to just let cooler heads prevail despite the vitriolic language which are elsewhere about painting every single person south of the border with the same brush. that's not helpful. it's not right. but at the same token we have a prime responsibility of protecting our people. and this is a national security issue. we've got to get control of our borders, north and south. the faster we do that, that opportunity would have to come up with a cogent and sustainable and responsible immigration system. so i thank you for your a tendency today. i see i have exceeded my time and i think the chairman for his indulgence. i yield back. >> the gentleman's time has expired. the chairman recognizes the gentleman from ohio. >> i think the children. i thank him for his hard work on this issue and a number of other members of the committee. i was struck by the director's statement. in fact, she was looking directly at the acting chair when she talked about republicans taking his politi

ms. saldana you've gobbled of attention after asset when you encouraged us this morning to drop political banter. i think he pointed to the rules and statutes in front of you and you invited us to help you develop a system that works. i would like to talk about that. you and i talked about that in the past. let's get back to something we talked about before, which is would help you develop a system that worked if we figured out a way to require local law enforcement to cooperate with your retainer request? >> we need to figure a way to get law enforcement to work with us. just like his individual from law enforcement works with us. i don't think he pays kindly to us browbeating him and forcing them to do things -- >> let's stay on topic. you know where i'm getting at, which is what it help you develop a system that works if we required over law-enforcement to cooperate with i.c.e.? >> compulsory? it would help me to some extent that's what i'm doing is i'm trying to get -- >> to what extent? that's the third answer i have gotten. i asked you the same question in june 2015. i asked you quo

ms. saldana, you're recognized director for five minutes. >> thank you. i cannot tell you how disheartening it is to sit here and hear an issue and very important issues related to the topic of immigration reform be bandied about as a political football. i'm a former united states attorney. i was a prosecutor for ten years. i am about the law and law enforcement. i'm about identifying problems and correcting them. i am here to get, to tell the public what the situation is with some of the issues we face, inform the public, and i would really appreciate we focus on solutions. solutions as opposed to polil

ms. saldana, you're recognized director for five minutes. >> thank you. i cannot tell you how disheartening it is to sit here and hear an issue and very important issues related to the topic of immigration reform be bandied about as a political football. i'm a former united states attorney. i was a prosecutor for ten years. i am about the law and law enforcement. i'm about identifying problems and correcting them. i am here to get, to tell the public what the situation is with some of the issues we face, inform the public, and i would really appreciate we focus on solutions. solutions as opposed to political banter. along with our sister agencies add the department of homeland security, i.c.e. has no smaller mission, no smaller mission than the national security border security and public safety of our citizens. like any law enforcement agency, we deal with serious and difficult matters every day. in the area of immigration, recent estimates are that there are about 11.2 million illegal immigrants in the country. there are approximately 2 million, 2 milli

ms. saldana saying that all the states are being notified, and it's filtering down, and that obviously is not taking place, at least in your case, and i -- i think this needs further research and investigation. thank you. i yield back. >> recognize the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. lynch, for five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. >> thank you for your willingness to make sure this does not happen again, and mr. martin and mr. burbank, thank you as well for your participation. can i ask you the contact that you had had with any federal law enforcement, or can you tell me if they have been -- i'm trying to explore the communication between federal agencies and victims such as yourself and families. could you tell me a bit about that? has any of that gone on? >> no, my -- i have not heard from the federal government or homeland security or i.c.e., nothing, no. but congressman -- no, blumenthal, he had got things rolling pretty good for casey's case when i saw him in hartford last year that -- so i know for a fact that homeland security is investigatoring jean jacques' case, my data's