Immigration activists are calling on President Obama to dismiss a top official at the Department of Homeland Security.

Their push came days after the Washington Post   reported that the federal government plans to increase deportations of illegal immigrants despite promises from Immigration and Customs Enforcement leader John Morton that only dangerous criminals will be deported.

The leaked memos also revealed that ICE still has quotas for capturing illegal immigrants even though Morton said that practice had stopped. Now the activists want Morton to go.

"This agency has gone rogue and is operating in clear opposition to the direction   President Obama has set," said Deepak Bhargava, who runs the nonprofit Center of Community Change, a lead organizer of the immigration rally in Washington, D.C., earlier this month.

Bhargava spoke on a conference call with reporters Tuesday that marked a shift in the activist groups' strategy. In recent weeks, they pressed Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration law, which may be less politically viable   than today's more targeted request.

"The President does not need Congress. He does not need the Republican Party to act ... and fire Morton," Maria Rodriguez, leader of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, added on the call.

-- Ambreen Ali, Congress.org