The federal prison population increased by almost 800 percent between 1980 and 2013, often at a far faster rate than the Bureau of Prisons could accommodate in their own facilities.

Restoring a person's ability to achieve success when they leave the prison walls promotes public safety, builds our economy and, most importantly, is the right thing to do.

Medicare is growing at a rate of 8.5 percent per year, the federal budget at 5.2 percent and the gross domestic product at only 4.8 percent,

Given what illegal immigration costs each year, given that 30 percent of inmates in our federal prisons are illegal aliens and given the strain illegal immigration puts on our health care, it's a small price to pay.

Whilst we have prisons it matters little who occupies the cells.

At the Justice Department, we have no greater obligation than ensuring all people are treated equally under the law, and Americans must know that we will vigorously pursue criminal activity regardless of whether the crime is committed on a street corner or in a corner office.