Original estimates said a few hundred illegal aliens would be turned loose but that turned out to be over 2,000 with the possibility of as many as 3,000 more to be let go in March.

The Federal government blamed the releases on the sequester budget cuts but many are calling that a “political stunt.”

The new totals of those released come from internal budget documents.

Arizona, California, Georgia, and Texas are among the states where illegals were turned out. There were no releases in Oklahoma.

The Immigrations and Customs Enforcement field offices around the nation were flooded with complaint calls, leading to the ending if the program for now.

The White House is on the record as saying they were not consulted before the releases were decided on.

Homeland security secretary Janet Napolitano has apologized for the way the actions took place.

It’s estimated the cost of keeping the immigrants in jail was about $164 per day per person.