Free Republic

The California Assembly approved a bill to allow counties to opt out of a controversial federal immigration program that lawmakers said rips families apart, leads to racial profiling and erodes trust between law enforcement and the immigrant community. Under the Secure Communities program, instated by President Obama, the fingerprints of anyone booked into a county jail are automatically cross-checked against immigration databases, and if a person is determined to be undocumented, local authorities hand them over to federal officials for deportation. A growing number of law enforcement officials and public leaders across the U.S., however, are criticizing the program, saying...

In the latest collusion between the Obama Administration and the leftwing American Civil Liberties Union, Homeland Security officials have suspended the scheduled deportation of an illegal immigrant at the ACLU’s request. The move is part of a bigger plan to perhaps eliminate the federal program (Secure Communities) that identified the illegal alien in the first place. The influential open borders movement—which includes the ACLU—has aggressively pressured the administration to nix Secure Communities, which requires local authorities to check the fingerprints of arrestees against a federal database. The idea is to deport dangerous criminals, many of whom have fallen through...

San Francisco, one of the first sanctuary cities in the nation, plans to end its cooperation with federal immigration officials and start releasing illegal immigrants arrested for minor offenses before they can be picked up for deportation. The city's decision is the latest development in a tug of war between several communities and the federal government over its controversial national program that automatically checks the immigration status of arrestees. Officials in jurisdictions including Providence, R.I., and Chicago have also challenged the program, which they say undermines trust that it has taken local law enforcement years to build in immigrant communities....

San Francisco Sheriff Michael Hennessey explained in The Chronicle's Sunday Insight section his opposition to Secure Communities, the federal program that automatically passes new arrestees' fingerprints to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The program applies to "everyone booked into a county jail," Hennessey complained - "even in a minor matter, such as having no driver's license in one's possession in a traffic stop." To Hennessey and many other "sanctuary city" supporters, a person can break federal immigration law, then violate state driver's license law, but still should escape the legal consequences. Secure Communities is supposed to address illegal immigration by targeting...

California lawmakers are the latest to weigh joining efforts in other states to gain control over a controversial national program that automatically checks the immigration status of arrestees. The Golden State accounts for more than a third of the deportations under the Immigration and Customs Enforcement program, and some local officials are saying they were misled by the federal government about the program's extent. Illinois lawmakers are also considering a measure to let communities retreat from the program. Washington state has deferred to local governments on whether they want to join the so-called "Secure Communities" program, which links up the...

State and county officials who think they can drop out of a mandatory federal program that checks the immigration status of local arrestees have been misled by the Department of Homeland Security’s ambiguous orders. At least that’s the explanation offered by the agency’s beleaguered leader, Janet Napolitano, who finally clarified the matter to a growing number of local officials trying to get out of the Secure Communities program. Launched a few years ago, the initiative requires local authorities to check the fingerprints of arrestees against a federal database. The idea is to deport dangerous criminals, many of whom have...

As we mark the end of the old year and the beginning of something new, it’s wise to take a step back and assess the accomplishments and setbacks of our movement. 2010 was probably the most significant year in terms of advancing the debate over immigration enforcement within the body politic of this country in recent memory. The most notable event, of course, was the decision by Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona to sign into law Senator Russell Pearce’s signature piece of legislation, SB 1070. As a quick reminder, the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act makes it...

The Arlington County Board has unanimously passed a resolution to opt out of the federal Secure Communities program, which uses the fingerprints of people in custody for other reasons to identify illegal immigrants. "It is not the role of Arlington County law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws," the resolution states. Last spring, Virginia officials signed up for the program, which shares any arrested individuals' fingerprints with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, without asking Arlington law enforcement's opinion, said board member Walter Tejada, the resolution's sponsor. "We are not defending criminals," Tejada said at Tuesday's board meeting. However, he...

Courtesy of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) The steps of the Secure Communities immigration enforcement program from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). BY AISHA AL-MUSLIM Wednesday, September 8, 2010 1:16 PM EDT When New York State approved a new immigration enforcement program on May 10, there was no public outcry like in Arizona because N.Y.’s decision was kept secret, immigrant rights groups said. “In a way, it’s worse,” said Elizabeth Wagoner, senior staff attorney at Make the Road New York, based in Jackson Heights. “I don’t think you can compare the two. I think it...

It's a head scratcher. Tom Maguire notes the NYT articles on an ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) program called Secure Communities -- which seems remarkably like the Arizona law which the department just succeeded in getting enjoined.    Tom quotes the latest article NYT article on the program: A task force recommended that Colorado institute a federal background check program called Secure Communities, which helps the authorities check an arrested person's immigration history through a government database, for possible deportation. Now, as Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. weighs whether to use Secure Communities, already in effect in 480 jurisdictions in 27 states, immigrant rights...

Some D.C. Council members are planning to propose legislation that would prevent police from joining a federal program designed to catch illegal immigrants by matching fingerprints of arrestees against a database, officials said. The District announced it was joining Secure Communities in November, but as the Washington Examiner reported earlier this month, the program has yet to get under way because police say they have run into technical difficulties. Now, Councilmen Jim Graham and Phil Mendelson say they are sponsoring legislation that will prevent the program from ever being implemented. They plan to introduce it May 4. Police Chief Cathy...

Los Angeles, Ventura and San Diego will become the first counties in California to begin checking the immigration status of all inmates booked into jail Law enforcement officials will begin running inmates' fingerprints through federal databases this month to see if they have had any contact with the immigration system. Once the inmates have finished serving their sentences, they will be transferred to immigration custody for possible deportation

3 California counties will check immigration status as inmates enter jail The effort is part of a national program to run the inmates' fingerprints through federal databases. Illegal immigrants may then be deported after being convicted and serving their sentences. By Anna Gorman 6:01 PM PDT, May 13, 2009 Los Angeles, Ventura and San Diego will become the first counties in California to begin checking the immigration status of all inmates booked into jail as part of a national effort to identify and deport more illegal immigrants with criminal records. Law enforcement officials in the three counties will begin running...