A federal information-sharing policy newly implemented in Vermont has put the state’s look-the-other-way, bias-free policing policy in jeopardy. The policy, Se Communities, uses existing procedure and infrastructure to assist the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement division in catching illegal immigrants. Before Tuesday, when state or local police in Vermont made an arrest and submitted the suspect’s fingerprints into the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) database, the fingerprint information only went to the FBI database. The fingerprints were checked against known criminals or outstanding warrants, allowing for increased law enforcement capability across state lines. Se Communities is simple: It takes down a previously existing division between the FBI fingerprint database and ICE, thereby allowing immigration officials to track and investigate arrested individuals in Vermont.

Read more http://vtdigger.org/2012/05/23/feds-say-there-is-no-opting-out-of-se-communities-policing/

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