(Image source: Don Bartletti/LA Times)

BY NICOLE THOMPSON
ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

You're watching multisource politics video news analysis from Newsy.

Illegal immigration - it’s a hot button issue on the lips of politicians right now, and some new numbers from the White House are fueling the flames. MSNBC’s Chris Matthews has more.

“The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director announced nearly 400,000 illegal immigrants have been deported during just the past year, a record number. Nearly half were deported after being convicted of a crime, and two thirds of them had either recently crossed the border, or had done so repeatedly.”

An analyst for The National Journal writes, this is Team Obama flexing its security muscles.

“The administration’s goal is to belie accusations from critics that the United States border is out of control... For the last several years, administration officials have been taking every opportunity they can to point out how seriously they are taking their immigration enforcement duties and how successful they have been.”

But a Salon blogger counters, the numbers don’t prove success.

“Obama’s strategy isn’t working on any front, for anyone... It’s a pointless exercise in brutal government ‘toughness’ that hurts innocent people. And despite that, it’s not winning Republican support.”

Not winning GOP support, plus, CNN points out, the president may be alienating an important demographic.

“Latino activists said Monday they are planning a national ‘day of action’ to protest President Barack Obama... The president won two-thirds of the Hispanic and Latino vote in the 2008 presidential election... Keeping that vote is key to his re-election chances.”

A blogger for the Examiner points out, some are taking the criticism a step further, saying the numbers are bogus. Here’s a quote from Republican House Judiciary committee Chairman Lamar Smith.

“‘The Obama administration continues to inflate its deportation numbers. The administration includes voluntary removals in its deportation statistics even though they impose no penalties on the offenders and make it easier for illegal immigrants to return to the U.S.’”

Whether the numbers are right or not, Democratic Congressman Raul Grijalva tells MSNBC’s Martin Bashir this debate is far from over.

“I hope that as a consequence to this announcement today, that we understand that this whole issue is not going to be solved by who’s the toughest. It’s going to be solved by good security, but it’s also going to be solved by a comprehensive, pragmatic reform to our laws that deals with the human aspect, not just the political rhetoric that we’re hearing from Republicans. Or not just the tough guy approach that we’re seeing from the administration.”

Last month the Department of Homeland Security announced the government would suspend review of lower-priority immigration cases and spend more time on cases involving violent or dangerous immigrants.

Transcript by Newsy.