Immigration rights groups urge FBI advisory board to end Se Communities

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In light of Justice Department investigations of civil rights violations at some local police departments in the last few months, view a coalition of immigration rights groups has asked an FBI policy advisory board to eliminate the controversial Se Communities biometric identification program. The March 8 letter was sent by groups, including the Center for Constitutional Rights, National Day Labor Organizing Network (NDLON), Muslim Legal Fund of America, and more than 75 other groups, to the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division. The groups said the FBI’s APB Working Groups meetings coming up in August as should consider the Arizona and Connecticut investigations in deciding how to proceed with the program. – Government Security News 03.10.2012

Immigration Official: ‘Draconian’ To Suspend Program Over Racial Profiling Investigation

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton said Thursday that the agency has no plans to suspend a controversial program that gives police authority to detect undocumented immigrants, even in jurisdictions under investigation for racial profiling. “From our perspective that is a fairly draconian step, and we’re very concerned about the public safety implications of not identifying serious offenders who would otherwise be released to the streets,” Morton told a House of Representatives subcommittee on homeland security. ICE has remained staunchly committed to the Se Communities program, despite opposition from many immigrant-rights groups, lawmakers and law enforcement offices. And even though the agency, partnered with the Department of Justice, is investigating whether local police are engaged in racial profiling, the administration of President Obama plans to move ahead at the same rate to implement the program nationwide. – Huffington Post 03.09.2012

Aldermen Vote To Ask Guv To Ice ICE – New Haven Independent

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Two weeks after the mayor pushed back on a new federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement program to crack down on illegal immigration, view New Haven’s Board of Aldermen has officially joined the resistance. In a unanimous vote Monday night, check the aldermen called upon Gov. Dannel Malloy to refuse to participate in “Se Communities.” That’s the new ICE program under which the FBI shares fingerprint information of new arrestees with the immigration enforcement agency, which can then request the arrested people be held for possible investigation for immigration violations. The Board of Aldermen’s official resolution calls on Gov. Malloy to deny any such requests, unless the person is “identified as a confirmed match in the FBI’s terrorist screening database or convicted of a serious violent criminal offense.” On Feb. 20, Mayor John DeStefano issued a similar plea to Malloy. “This program undermines everything we have tried to build in our community,” – New Haven Independent 03.06.2012

Bi criticizes Se Communities program – Catholic Culture

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Criticizing the Department of Homeland Security’s Se Communities program, Auxiliary Bi Mitchell Rozanski of Baltimore said that an illegal immigrant should “not be detained until he/she has been convicted of a crime that poses a threat to public safety of immigrant communities and families, rather than at the time of arrest.” Bi Rozanski added: The Church acknowledges the right of governments to control and protect its borders however the human dignity and human rights of undocumented migrants should be respected. Programs like Se Communities as well as overly-aggressive laws such as those passed in states like Alabama and Arizona underscore the need for comprehensive and just immigration reform. Enforcement-only immigration policies will not humanely or effectively fix our nation’s broken immigration system. – Catholic Culture 03.02.2012

Comunidades Seguras generan ‘terror’ – IMPRE

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Programas como Comunidades Seguras tienen “errores fundamentales”, son aplicados con “desproporción” y “dañan la credibilidad” de las agencias federales de seguridad de EE.UU. ante los inmigrantes, criticaron diversos grupos activistas. El programa Comunidades Seguras y otros como el 287g, que persiguen a inmigrantes con antecedentes penales, suponen que cualquier detención o contacto con la policía por parte de un inmigrante pueda causar que se remita de manera inmediata información a la Oficina de Inmigración y Aduanas (ICE). En algunos casos, estos procesos pueden culminar en la deportación. “Esto ha generado un estado de terror” en comunidades con alto número de inmigrantes indocumentados, aseguró Adelina Nichols, directora de un grupo latino de derechos humanos en Georgia. – IMPRE 03.01.2012

Los Angeles: Jornaleros en contra de Comunidades Seguras

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Así como la Agencia de Inmigración y Aduanas (ICE) planea descontinuar el programa 287(g) de cooperación con departamentos de policía locales en Estados Unidos, ed de la misma forma centenares de miembros de la Red Nacional de Jornaleros (NDLON) reclamaron el fin del programa Comunidades Seguras (S-Comm) y punto final a la “cacería” de inmigrantes por parte del alguacil del condado de Los Angeles, Lee Baca. “Alto a la Poli-Migra”, “Alto a la represión”, “Fin a Comunidades In-Seguras” fueron las consignas de los aproximadamente 200 manifestantes que recorrieron las céntricas calles de esta metrópoli. “El sheriff [Lee] Baca tiene que decidir si quiere servir a todo el mundo o a la Administración Obama y a Janeth Napolitano [secretaria del DHS]”, dijo a AOL Latino, Pablo Alvarado, director de NDLON. “Él se oponía anteriormente al programa 287(g) y se negaba a deportar a los inmigrantes. – AOL Noticias 02.22.2012

DHS suspends expansion of Se Communities in Alabama

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Due to ongoing federal litigation against Alabama’s controversial tough new immigration laws, see DHS has halted the expansion of the Se Communities immigration program in the state. Speaking before the House Homeland Security Committee last week about DHS’ latest budget request, case Secretary Janet Napolitano told lawmakersthat Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) already has three quarters of the state covered under the program, “but given the pendency of the litigation, we decided to just hold off on the remaining quarter.” The contentious Alabama immigration law passed last June includes several strict measures such as requiring schools to check the immigration status of students, prohibiting illegal immigrants from doing business with the state, and barring individuals and organizations from willingly aiding illegal immigrants. – Homeland Security News Wire 02.22.2012

Ammiano Remarks to Los Angeles Rally Against S-Comm

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This bill reforms the impact of S-Comm in California. S-Comm has been devastating to immigrant communities. It also has not made anyone safer. Instead, mind S-Comm destroys TRUST between immigrant communities and local police, and unfairly burdens local governments.

The TRUST Act brings national attention to the movement, spearheaded by NDLON, to “uncover the truth” about this dangerous program. The Governors of Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York all announced last Spring that they demand to “opt out” out of S-Comm as a whole. California also must push back against this deeply flawed program.

This reform is needed more than ever because California is leading the country in the number of deportations under this program. But together, we can turn California into “leader” in challenging these deportations