N.Y.C. Mayoral Candidates Oppose Fingerprinting Program

May 13, 2012, 6:06 pm

Mayoral Candidates Oppose Fingerprinting Program

By KATE TAYLOR

The expected Democratic candidates for mayor may have their differences, but they are unified in their opposition to New York City’s participation in Secure Communities, a controversial fingerprinting program meant to identify illegal immigrants.

Last week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials announced that they planned to extend the program across New York and Massachusetts on Tuesday, despite opposition from the governors of both states.

The program requires the fingerprints of anyone arrested by the local or state police to be checked against databases of the Department of Homeland Security, which include immigration violations. If someone is found to be in the country illegally, immigration officials may ask the police to hold the person to be picked up by federal agents.

On Sunday, William C. Thompson, Jr., the former comptroller and 2009 Democratic candidate for mayor, sent a letter to President Obama urging him to reverse his administration’s position. Saying that New York City drew strength from its immigrants, he said that the program would cause them hardship, while doing little to make neighborhoods more secure.

“Studies show that this program does little to protect our neighborhoods,” Mr. Thompson wrote in the letter. “Instead, it drives many hard-working immigrants into the shadows of our society, thus actually compromising public safety.”

Last June, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said that New York was suspending participation in the program, because of evidence that it was having detrimental effects on law enforcement and crime reporting. This week, the governor’s office said that he remained opposed to the program.

Another expected mayoral candidate, the public advocate, Bill de Blasio, sent a letter on Sunday to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., asking him to stop the expansion of the program.

“Local law enforcement requires the active and sustained cooperation of immigrant communities to effectively fight crime,” Mr. de Blasio wrote. “The implementation of this program intimidates immigrants, reducing the likelihood that they will report crimes or come forward as witnesses for fear of risking deportation.”

A third likely mayoral candidate, Christine C. Quinn, plans to hold a news conference at City Hall tomorrow along with other council members, immigration advocates, and clergy, where she will call on the administration to halt the activation of the program in New York City until it is significantly reformed.

A fourth, Scott M. Stringer, said in a statement on Sunday, “I strongly urge President Obama and Department of Homeland Security officials to hear the calls of so many around the country and make this program optional for the dozens of jurisdictions that wish to withdraw. A state’s participation in a program that targets its own residents should be left up to local officials, and not dictated from on high by Washington.”

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has not commented on the program since its extension was announced last week. However, a spokesman said that his administration would prefer that the Secure Communities program track New York’s own criteria in dealing with requests from federal immigration officials to turn over prisoners at Rikers Island.

New York City only turns over a prisoner if he or she has previously been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony; is a defendant in a pending criminal case; has an outstanding criminal warrant; is or has previously been subject to a final deportation order of removal; is a known gang member; or is identified as a possible match in the terrorist screening database.

Mayoral Candidates Oppose Fingerprinting Program - NYTimes.com