(Secure Communities) Immigration Program Is Rejected by Third State (Massachusetts)

[alp227]

Source: The New York Times

Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts has decided the state will not participate in a fingerprint-sharing program that is central to the Obama administration’s immigration enforcement strategy, dealing a new political blow to a program that has met rising resistance nationwide.

Massachusetts is the third state to pull out of the program, called Secure Communities, after Gov. Pat Quinn canceled it in Illinois in May and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo suspended New York’s participation last week. All three are Democrats from states with large immigrant populations, and they are close allies of President Obama, including on immigration issues.

The governors’ actions seem to set up a confrontation with immigration authorities, who maintain that the program is mandatory.

In a June 3 letter, the Massachusetts secretary of public safety and security, Mary Elizabeth Heffernan, said Mr. Patrick had concluded that he should not sign any agreement to join the program because it was not accomplishing its goal of deporting immigrants who were convicted of serious crimes. Ms. Heffernan also wrote that state law enforcement officials feared that the program was “overly broad and may deter the reporting of criminal activity.”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/07/us/politics/07immig.html

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And you know why? Secure Communities = security theater! It isn't really meeting its goal of deporting illegal immigrants convicted of serious or violent crimes! The Colorado Independent reported: "Report: Secure Communities immigration enforcement program deporting mostly low-level criminals." Colorlines reported that .

[Ian David]

1. This is one of those things that looks good on paper, but has been abused when implemented.

So, I'm glad we shot this down.

[Walk away]

2. It restores my faith in at least a small corner of the country. nt