More than 100 violent illegal aliens deported

More than 100 violent illegal immigrants deported

By Sarah NavoyPublished: May 8, 2012 at 6:02 PM PDT

YAKIMA, Wash. -- KIMA is following up on a county program called Secure Communities. It's a system that helps deport violent criminals who are in the country illegally.

Different criminal, same process. Each inmate in the Yakima County Jail is identified by his own unique fingerprints. But, beginning June 2011, every set is sent through a system called Secured Communities. Its goal is to find violent illegal immigrants.

"Through the Secure Communities, they are trying to find the people who have yes committed and been convicted of violent crimes," says Chief Scott Himes.

In the last year, more than 5,000 people were booked into Yakima County jail. Of those, nearly 600 were identified as illegal aliens. A total of 126 were taken from their cells and deported.

We learned Secure Communities is paid for by the Department of Homeland Security and doesn't cost the county a dime. A free layer of protection that most agree is as unique as the inmate fingerprints.

"It's just one of those programs that is rare that it isn't costing something extra for the community to feel safe," says Yakima County resident, Sandy Belaire.

Yakima County was the first in the state to use Secure Communities. Every county in Washington is now on board as of the beginning of the year.

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