What Will the Cost Be From the DHS's Decision to Release Illegal Immigrants Prior to Sequester

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said this week that the sequester would cut "core" areas of her department. Preparation for the cuts began last night, when she reportedly authorized the release of hundreds of illegal immigrants held in local jails to save money for upcoming sequestration.  Fox News reports on the DHS decision:

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said Tuesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement released more than 500 detainees in his county alone over the weekend. A spokesman for Babeu told FoxNews.com that ICE officials have said they plan to release a total of nearly 10,000 illegal immigrants.

Arizona officials at both the state and federal level are outraged, with Arizona Governor Jan Brewer saying of the release: “I’m appalled to learn the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has begun to release hundreds of illegal aliens from custody, the first of potentially thousands to soon be freed under the guise of federal budget cuts.”

ICE claims the releases are necessary to save money ahead of the cuts, but can that justify such action even if true?

In December of 2012, Tom Coburn released a report detailing the wasteful spending of the Department of Homeland Security. The report details spending that include Zombie apocalypse training, underwater robots for cities that have few bodies of water, and armored vehicles for tiny communities.

On 'Real News' Wednesday the panel discussed how the sequester will effect DHS, if the cost for holding illegal immigrants in jail is the first place the DHS should cut, and what real-life consequences will come of Napolitano's decision. Watch a clip from Wednesday's show below: