Thread: Secure Communities Pilot Program To Run In Denver

Secure Communities Pilot Program To Run In Denver;
Immigration Enforcement Advocates Skeptical Of DHS Proposals

The Huffington Post Ryan Grenoble
First Posted: 12/ 8/11 02:40 PM ET Updated: 12/ 8/11 02:42 PM ET

The Department of Homeland Security's contentious 'Secure Communities' program may see a policy refresh soon, pending a successful six-week pilot project in Denver.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced the policy change in June, aiming to label immigrants who present a greater threat to national security a higher priority for deportation. While this has been the goal for 'Secure Communities' all along, critics maintain the program has so far deported many illegal immigrants guilty of little more than parking tickets while allowing violent offenders off the hook.

An October report conducted by the Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Law and Social Policy of the University of California-Berkley found only 8% of those detained under Secure Communities had an aggravated felony conviction, while 45% had no criminal history at all.

"I know there has been a lot of discussion about Secure Communities -- and to be perfectly candid, this program got off to a bad start," Napolitano said in a speech at American University in early October. "We did not explain clearly how it works and who is required to participate."

According to the Denver Post, the pilot program will allow qualified illegal immigrants to have their cases closed and re-classified as "low priority" for deportation.

Detractors of the Denver pilot believe the policy condones illegal immigration. Republicans have called it a "backdoor amnesty" program, and blasted the shift as halting enforcement of U.S. law, writes 7News.

Boston hosted a different variation of Secure Communities in 2006, culminating in a 2011 mayoral pledge to remove all city support for the program, writes the Boston Globe. "As operated now, Secure Communities is diminishing trust, an essential part of the neighborhood fabric and a vital public safety tool," wrote Boston Mayor Tom Menino. "Secure Communities must change substantially or be scrapped."

Massachusetts, Illinois, and New York sought to end their involvement in Secure Communities earlier this year but Department of Homeland Security officials derailed their plans. Colorado's own involvement with the program has seen much opposition including funding disputes and federal/state conflicts.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/0 ... 37260.html

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