BOSTON - State and local police in Massachusetts will soon be enlisted in the effort to crack down on illegal immigration after the Gov. Deval Patrick’s administration today announced they will be signing onto a controversial federal program that sends the fingerprints of everyone arrested to US immigration authorities.
The announcement is a major development to a story first exposed by FOX Undercover, which reported in September that the Patrick administration had sat for a year on a request by the federal government to sign an agreement activating the program, known as Secure Communities.
Secure Communities is aimed at catching and deporting illegal immigrants with serious criminal records. Some fear it will lead to racial profiling, but supporters say it catches people who right now are slipping through the cracks.
“This is a huge development for cities and towns in Massachusetts because it will mean that immigrants who have come here and committed crimes are going to be sent home,” said Jessica Vaughan with the Center for Immigration Studies, which supports tougher immigration enforcement.
Gov. Patrick told FOX Undercover reporter Mike Beaudet in September that he was waiting to sign up because he wanted to see how Secure Communities was working in Boston, where the program started as a pilot four years ago.
“If we're going to be thoughtful about this we should look at the results of that pilot and make our judgment and go from there,” Patrick said.
“It's been rolled out in states all over the country. What exactly are you waiting for?” asked Beaudet.
“You want me to say the same thing one more time?” Patrick responded.
“No I'd like you to give us an answer. Do you support it or not?” Beaudet asked.
“I just did. Thank you,” Patrick said.
In a statement, the governor's top public safety official blames the federal government for giving conflicting information about Secure Communities but says now that things have been clarified, they're signing up.
The full statement from Massachusetts Public Safety Secretary Mary Beth Heffernan says: “Over the last year we have received conflicting information from (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) relative to the program. It has become clear now that this program is going to be mandatory for all communities in the near future. With that knowledge we will sign the (Memorandum of Understanding) with ICE. We will also work closely with all communities to monitor the implementation and share with federal officials any concerns that are raised.”
(source: http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/local/state-police-to-join-immigration-checks-program-25-apx-20101217)
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