Obama Expands Program that Screens Undocumented
Inmates in Local Jails Across the Country
Inmates in Local Jails Across the Country
ICE's 'Secure Communities' would potentially deport ten times more convicted inmates.
By Eduardo Barraza
Phoenix, Arizona. May 19, 2009 - A program that began during the administration of former President
George W. Bush, and intended to check the immigration status of practically all individuals who are
booked into local jails, is being expanded by President Barack Obama. The measure would represent a
huge increase in the number of potential deportations of undocumented immigrants who have been
convicted of crimes.
An increasing number of local authorities will match fingerprints of inmates under their custody against
federal immigration agencies data, to detect those who lack legal status and to place them in
deportation procedures prior to their release. While inmates from federal and state prisons are already
subject to this procedure, federal immigration authorities don’t have the resources to screen inmates at
local-level jails.
Inmates who are incarcerated in city or county jails –for instance– are processed more quickly than those
in Federal and State detention facilities, which could mean that some individuals suspected of being in
the country without the proper documentation may be released before they can face deportation.
Both the Obama administration and Democratic officials are vowing to concentrate deportation efforts on
people who have committed crimes and lack legal status, versus those who are in the country without
legal documents but are law-abiding individuals.
Former Arizona governor and current Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano have indicated that a
top priority of her office is to deport those undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes. House
subcommittee officials are pushing an agenda to remove undocumented immigrants convicted of crimes
after they complete their sentence’s term in the United States.
The program began as a pilot in October of 2008 and is currently being operated in nearly 50 counties
throughout the U.S. In 2009, the plan is to screen the fingerprints of 1 million individuals who are booked
in local jails, in cities like Phoenix, Arizona; Dallas and Houston, Texas; Miami, Florida; and Boston,
Massachusetts. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have indicated the program will be
expanded to cities like Los Angeles, California, in 2009, and to virtually every local jail in the nation by
2012.
According to a January 8, 2009 press release by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO,) an Arizona
local law enforcement agency in charge of several county jails, “in the (county) jails since April 2007, over
20,500 inmates have been identified as illegal aliens and processed for deportation.”
This plan is different than the 287(g) agreements between ICE and local law enforcement agencies,
where police officers and deputies have been delegated authority and received training to question
individuals suspected of being in the country illegally.
The plan to screen the fingerprints of undocumented convicted criminals to avoid their release and place
them on deportation procedures will be done automatically. Fingerprint databases from the Federal
Bureau of Investigations (FBI) will be compared against the Department of Homeland Security’s
databases. This matching procedure will detect only people who have been previously fingerprinted by
authorities throughout the country.
An estimate indicates that if the fingerprints of 14 million individuals booked in to local jails every year are
screened, about 10 percent -1.4 million- will come back as being of undocumented immigrants. This figure
would represent an increase of 10 times the current number of undocumented immigrants convicted of a
crime that were deported by ICE last year. The number of local jails in the U.S. is three times more than
the number of federal and state prisons combined, which means more undocumented inmates would be
detected at the local level.
Secure Communities, A Comprehensive Plan to Identify and Remove Criminal Aliens, as the program is
deemed, has a three-fold method to accomplish its purpose: “Identify criminal aliens through modernized
information sharing,” “Prioritize enforcement actions to ensure apprehension and removal of dangerous
criminal aliens,” and “Transform criminal alien enforcement processes and systems to achieve lasting
results.”
Congress has allocated $1.4 billion for this type of enforcement. President Obama’s proposed budget for
2010 is asking Congress for $200 million for this program. It is estimated that it would cost $3 billion to
remove all criminal undocumented immigrants.
Supposedly, ICE’s priority will be to deport those individuals categorized as the most dangerous
offenders, like those who pose a risk to national security or those who are convicted of committing
violent crimes. Opponents to the plan believe that even deporting the worst undocumented immigrant
criminals won’t be realistically effective, since this plan doesn’t address the estimated 11 million of
immigrants who lack legal status and are already living in the United States.
George W. Bush, and intended to check the immigration status of practically all individuals who are
booked into local jails, is being expanded by President Barack Obama. The measure would represent a
huge increase in the number of potential deportations of undocumented immigrants who have been
convicted of crimes.
An increasing number of local authorities will match fingerprints of inmates under their custody against
federal immigration agencies data, to detect those who lack legal status and to place them in
deportation procedures prior to their release. While inmates from federal and state prisons are already
subject to this procedure, federal immigration authorities don’t have the resources to screen inmates at
local-level jails.
Inmates who are incarcerated in city or county jails –for instance– are processed more quickly than those
in Federal and State detention facilities, which could mean that some individuals suspected of being in
the country without the proper documentation may be released before they can face deportation.
Both the Obama administration and Democratic officials are vowing to concentrate deportation efforts on
people who have committed crimes and lack legal status, versus those who are in the country without
legal documents but are law-abiding individuals.
Former Arizona governor and current Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano have indicated that a
top priority of her office is to deport those undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes. House
subcommittee officials are pushing an agenda to remove undocumented immigrants convicted of crimes
after they complete their sentence’s term in the United States.
The program began as a pilot in October of 2008 and is currently being operated in nearly 50 counties
throughout the U.S. In 2009, the plan is to screen the fingerprints of 1 million individuals who are booked
in local jails, in cities like Phoenix, Arizona; Dallas and Houston, Texas; Miami, Florida; and Boston,
Massachusetts. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have indicated the program will be
expanded to cities like Los Angeles, California, in 2009, and to virtually every local jail in the nation by
2012.
According to a January 8, 2009 press release by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO,) an Arizona
local law enforcement agency in charge of several county jails, “in the (county) jails since April 2007, over
20,500 inmates have been identified as illegal aliens and processed for deportation.”
This plan is different than the 287(g) agreements between ICE and local law enforcement agencies,
where police officers and deputies have been delegated authority and received training to question
individuals suspected of being in the country illegally.
The plan to screen the fingerprints of undocumented convicted criminals to avoid their release and place
them on deportation procedures will be done automatically. Fingerprint databases from the Federal
Bureau of Investigations (FBI) will be compared against the Department of Homeland Security’s
databases. This matching procedure will detect only people who have been previously fingerprinted by
authorities throughout the country.
An estimate indicates that if the fingerprints of 14 million individuals booked in to local jails every year are
screened, about 10 percent -1.4 million- will come back as being of undocumented immigrants. This figure
would represent an increase of 10 times the current number of undocumented immigrants convicted of a
crime that were deported by ICE last year. The number of local jails in the U.S. is three times more than
the number of federal and state prisons combined, which means more undocumented inmates would be
detected at the local level.
Secure Communities, A Comprehensive Plan to Identify and Remove Criminal Aliens, as the program is
deemed, has a three-fold method to accomplish its purpose: “Identify criminal aliens through modernized
information sharing,” “Prioritize enforcement actions to ensure apprehension and removal of dangerous
criminal aliens,” and “Transform criminal alien enforcement processes and systems to achieve lasting
results.”
Congress has allocated $1.4 billion for this type of enforcement. President Obama’s proposed budget for
2010 is asking Congress for $200 million for this program. It is estimated that it would cost $3 billion to
remove all criminal undocumented immigrants.
Supposedly, ICE’s priority will be to deport those individuals categorized as the most dangerous
offenders, like those who pose a risk to national security or those who are convicted of committing
violent crimes. Opponents to the plan believe that even deporting the worst undocumented immigrant
criminals won’t be realistically effective, since this plan doesn’t address the estimated 11 million of
immigrants who lack legal status and are already living in the United States.
| Hispanic Institute of Social Issues © 2006-2011 All rights reserved. webmaster@hisi.org |
Eduardo Barraza is a journalist and writer,
Barriozona Magazine's editor, and director of
the Hispanic Insitute of Social Issues.
E-mail: editor@barriozona.com
Barriozona Magazine's editor, and director of
the Hispanic Insitute of Social Issues.
E-mail: editor@barriozona.com
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SECURE COMMUNITIES Program
began as a pilot in October of 2008
and is currently being operated in
nearly 50 counties throughout the
U.S. In 2009, the plan is to screen
the fingerprints of 1 million
individuals who are booked in local
jails
Photo: ICE
began as a pilot in October of 2008
and is currently being operated in
nearly 50 counties throughout the
U.S. In 2009, the plan is to screen
the fingerprints of 1 million
individuals who are booked in local
jails
Photo: ICE
