Sheriff in crossfire on immigration program – San Jose Mercury News

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Santa Cruz County Sheriff-Coroner Phil Wowak on Tuesday found himself caught between an encroaching federal immigration program and resistance from local Latinos who want the county’s top law enforcement official to take a strong stand against it. Appearing before the county Board of Supervisors, Wowak outline his plans to layer his own local reviews into a Department of Homeland Security program known as Se Communities, which uses local jail bookings to help deport undocumented immigrants. It is aimed at those with a history of violence. But critics say the program sweeps up nonviolent offenders and even U.S. citizens, and local rights groups say Se Communities could impact public safety here by making illegal immigrants more reluctant to contact police. They want Wowak to resist the program. Wowak said he would implement assessments of jailed immigrants.

New Independent Report Exposes that More People in Sheriff Baca’s Jail Sent to ICE than to Prison

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NDLON Calls On Sheriff to Follow Chicago Example, Stop Responding to ICE’s Request for Extra Incarceration of Peaceful Immigrants

04.10.2012 Los Angeles, CA
In response to the Independent report released yesterday that exposes that more people in LA County jail are transferred to Immigration than to state prison, Pablo Alvarado of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network issued the following statement calling on the Sheriff to immediately suspend voluntarily holding peaceful immigrants in extended incarceration at ICE’s request:

“Se Communities” or a National Albatross? – Ron Hampton

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Shortly before the Department of Homeland Security is expected to announce another round of changes to its much-maligned “Se Communities” deportation program, it’s worth asking: “Can this program really be fixed?” Since my original writing about Se Communities two years ago, the program has only become more controversial. Three states and numerous cities have come forward to demand an “opt out” that would allow them to not participate in the initiative. As law enforcement officials, sick I and others have expressed reservations about “Se Communities” from the beginning.  The program, which requires police to check the immigration status of anyone booked into custody, pulls state and local police into the task of immigration enforcement to an unprecedented degree. The effect is the “Arizonification” of the country. – Ron Hampton, Op-ed

287(g) Leads to Mass Deportations In Georgia – AJC

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Georgia law officers have been among the nation’s busiest when it comes to processing people for deportation through a program that gives local officials immigration enforcement powers, patient according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis of public records. Since fiscal year 2006, 14, check 831 people have been “removed” — deported or allowed to voluntarily leave the country — through Georgia’s five 287(g) programs, named after the section of federal immigration law that authorizes them. Georgia ranks fifth among states based on total removals through this type of operation. Proponents say the programs help shrink the burden illegal immigrants put on the state’s tax-funded resources, including jails. Critics say they distract police from more important crime-fighting duties, promote racial profiling and ensnare many people who have committed minor traffic offenses.

Comunidades Seguras recibe evaluación sobre desempeño

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Dos nuevos reportes emitidos recientemente, por la Oficina del Inspector General del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional, identificaron problemas en la implementación y ejecución del polémico programa Comunidades Seguras. Este consiste en ingresar las huellas dactilares de personas detenidas en jurisdicciones suscritas a él, para luego contrastarlas con las bases de datos del Buró Federal de Investigaciones (FBI) y del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS). Si se determina que el individuo no posee estatus migratorio legal, el Servicio de Control de Inmigración y Aduanas (ICE) ejecuta medidas de control, entre ellas iniciar procesos de deportación. Actualmente el programa está activado en 2,590 jurisdicciones, es decir en 81% del país.

Divulga EU reportes sobre controvertido programa de inmigracion

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La Oficina del Inspector General del Departamento de Seguridad Interna de Estados Unidos divulgó hoy dos reportes sobre un controvertido programa de inmigración que busca deportar a extranjeros con antecedentes penales. De acuerdo con Notimex, and en el primer reporte se habló sobre si el Servicio de Inmigración y Aduanas (ICE) comunicó de manera clara a las entidades locales y estatales el objetivo del programa Comunidades Seguras. De acuerdo con el informe, help no hay evidencia de que el ICE haya engañado intencionalmente al público y a las autoridades locales o estatales sobre el programa Comunidades Seguras. Sin embargo, admitió que el Servicio de Inmigración no comunicó adecuadamente a las partes interesadas la intención del programa. La Oficina del Inspector General emitió una serie de recomendaciones al ICE -que aceptó su implementación-, como la divulgación de guías y criterios sobre la intención del programa.

Homeland Security inspectors release a pair of reports on Se Communities | 89.3 KPCC

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The federal immigration enforcement program supported by Sheriff Lee Baca and used in county jails has faced growing local opposition in the past two years. Now Se Communities is facing scrutiny from the feds themselves. Two recent internal reports question whether the Department failed to communicate early on whether states and counties had any choice in joining Se Communities. Another addresses whether the enforcement program has been effective. The reports were a response to Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren from San Jose, a critic of the program. The way Se Communities works is simple: when a person is booked into county jail, the detainee’s fingerprint information is shared with immigration authorities. If the person is in the country illegally, deportation proceedings could begin immediately.

Homeland Security’s ‘Se Communities’ Didn’t Intentionally Deceive, Report Says

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Two years ago, the Department of Homeland Security began an immigration enforcement program called Se Communities, designed to find undocumented immigrants who had been arrested by local police. Homeland Security explained how jurisdictions could remove themselves from the initiative, at least temporarily, and confirmed to local officials that they could opt out if they wish. But when states and localities tried to opt out, they were told they couldn’t. Homeland Security officials seemed to switch the definition of “opt out” and then admitted they planned to expand the program nationwide by 2013, whether state and county leaders liked it or not. None of this amounted to “intentionally” misleading the public, according to a report released on Friday by Charles K. Edwards, Homeland Security’s acting inspector general. – Huffington Post