Cornyn Responds to President Obama Ending Secure Communities Program

11/21/2014 09:53 AM
11/21/2014 09:55 AM




WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) issued the following statement after the President announced he is suspending the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Secure Communities program, responsible for identifying and deporting hundreds of thousands of dangerous criminals who are in the country illegally and in the custody of law enforcement, as a part of his executive actions on immigration:

“The President’s decision to suspend a program helping law enforcement identify and deport dangerous criminals from our country is indefensible, and his actions will only tie the hands of law enforcement officials trying to keep criminals off our streets and our communities safe.

“The President’s actions show that he has neither the will nor the leadership ability to do what Presidents before him have done: work with Congress to achieve meaningful reforms. Instead, he’s chosen to ignore the rule of law and launch another massive executive power grab that has grave security consequences for all Americans.”

BACKGROUND ON SECURE COMMUNITIES
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) automatically sends fingerprints of anyone arrested by state or local police for a criminal offense to DHS to determine whether that person is a criminal alien or falls under civil immigration enforcement priorities. Since its inception in 2008, Secure Communities has led to the removal of more than 383,000 convicted criminal aliens from the United States.

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