Thread: 2 More Calif. counties begin ICE screening program

2 More Calif. counties begin ICE screening program

By The Associated Press
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 10:16 a.m.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Two more California counties have hooked up to a Homeland Security database that screens the immigration status of arrestees.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties started using the program Tuesday.

Under the program, ICE says arrestees' fingerprints will be checked against a Homeland Security database. The agency will be notified if someone has an immigration history.

ICE says it will focus on arrestees who have prior convictions for violent crimes and major drug offenses.

The program, which is known as Secure Communities, has already been implemented in four other California counties.

ICE says it plans to roll out the program nationwide by 2013.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010 ... g-program/

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Perhaps "Too little, too late." but it is a start.

Originally Posted by Ratbstard

Perhaps "Too little, too late." but it is a start.

Or, to put a it in positive terms instead of negative terms:

Better late than never

(like many other counties).

I.C.E. News Release

January 05, 2010

Secure Communities deployed to two more Calif. counties

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Law enforcement agencies in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties began benefiting Tuesday from an initiative developed by the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS) that modernizes the process used to accurately identify and remove dangerous criminal aliens from the community.

The initiative, Secure Communities, is administered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Secure Communities enables ICE to determine whether an individual arrested by a participating state or local law enforcement agency is a dangerous criminal alien and take the appropriate action to remove the individual from the community.

The Secure Communities biometric identification technology is now accessible to the local law enforcement agencies in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties that use electronic booking machines. Formerly as part of the booking process, local arrestees' fingerprints were taken and checked for criminal history information against the DOJ biometric system maintained by the FBI. With the implementation of Secure Communities, that fingerprint information will now be simultaneously checked against both the FBI criminal history records and the biometrics-based immigration records maintained by the DHS.

If any fingerprints match those of someone in DHS's biometric system, the new automated process notifies ICE, enabling the agency to take appropriate action to ensure dangerous criminal aliens are not released back into communities. Top priority is given to individuals who pose the greatest threat to public safety, such as those with prior convictions for major drug offenses, murder, rape, robbery, and kidnapping.

"Secure Communities provides local law enforcement with an effective tool to identify dangerous criminal aliens," said Acting Secure Communities Executive Director Marc Rapp. "Enhancing public safety is at the core of ICE's mission. Our goal with Secure Communities is to use information sharing to prevent criminal aliens from being released back into the community, with little or no additional burden on our law enforcement partners."

With the expansion of Secure Communities to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, there are now six California counties participating in the initiative, including Los Angeles, Ventura, San Diego and Imperial. Across the country, Secure Communities is being used by 108 jurisdictions in 15 states. By next year, ICE expects Secure Communities to have a presence in every state, with nationwide coverage anticipated by 2013.

Since its inception in October 2008, Secure Communities has identified more than 11,000 aliens charged or convicted with Level 1 crimes, such as murder, rape and kidnapping - 1,900 of whom have already been removed from the United States - and more than 100,000 aliens convicted of Level 2 and 3 crimes, including burglary and serious property crimes.

Secure Communities is part of DHS's comprehensive plan to distribute technology that links local law enforcement agencies to both FBI and DHS biometric systems. DHS's US-VISIT Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT) holds biometrics-based immigration records, while the FBI's Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) contains biometrics-based criminal records.

"US-VISIT is proud to support ICE, helping provide decision makers with comprehensive, reliable information when and where they need it," said US-VISIT Director Robert Mocny. "By enhancing the interoperability of DHS's and the FBI's biometric systems, we are able to give federal, state and local decision makers information that helps them better protect our communities and our nation."

"Under this plan, ICE will be utilizing FBI system enhancements that allow improved information sharing at the state and local law enforcement level based on positive identification of incarcerated criminal aliens," said Daniel D. Roberts, assistant director of the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Division. "Additionally, ICE and the FBI are working together to take advantage of the strong relationships already forged between the FBI and state and local law enforcement necessary to assist ICE in achieving its goals."

For more information, visit the Secure Communities page.

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security.

ICE comprises four integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities. For more information, visit www.ICE.gov. To report suspicious activity, call 1-866-347-2423.

Last Modified: Wednesday, January 6, 2010
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/1001/100105santabarbara.htm

Is your STATE on the list?

Is your COUNTY on the list?

Is Your CITY on the list?


I.C.E. News Releases

Latest 25 News Releases

Topic: Secure Communities

- Date - Location

1/5/2010 Santa Barbara, CA
Secure Communities deployed to two more Calif. counties

11/17/2009 Detroit, MI
ICE initiative uses biometrics to enhance identification and removal of criminal aliens in Southeastern Michigan

11/17/2009 Atlanta, GA
New ICE initiative launched in 3 Georgia counties

11/17/2009 Tucson, AZ
ICE initiative uses biometrics to enhance identification and removal of criminal aliens in Pima, Cochise, Santa Cruz counties

11/12/2009 Washington, DC
Secretary Napolitano and ICE Assistant Secretary Morton announce that the Secure Communities Initiative identified more than 110,000 criminal aliens in its first year

11/12/2009 Tampa, FL
New ICE initiative launched at Pinellas County jails

9/30/2009 Manassas, VA
New ICE initiative uses biometrics to enhance identification and removal of criminal aliens from Prince William County

9/10/2009 El Centro, CA
New ICE initiative uses biometrics to enhance identification and removal of dangerous criminal aliens from Imperial County California

8/27/2009 Fort Lauderdale, FL
New ICE initiative launched at Broward County jails

8/26/2009 Los Angeles, CA
New ICE initiative to enhance identification and removal of dangerous criminal aliens from Los Angeles County

6/19/2009 Miami, FL
New program enhances identifying and deporting criminal aliens in 9 Florida counties

6/16/2009 Laredo, TX
5 additional Texas counties become part of new program to enhance identification and removal of criminal aliens

6/10/2009 Edinburg, TX
New program launched to enhance identification and removal of criminal aliens in six South Texas counties

5/26/2009 San Diego, CA
New program launched to enhance identification and removal of criminal aliens in San Diego County

5/19/2009 Huntsville, TX
Texas' prison system is the first to partner with ICE to automatically identify and remove criminal aliens

3/9/2009 Fairfax, VA
New ICE program enhances identifying and removing criminal aliens in Fairfax county

2/25/2009 Dallas, TX
New program enhances identifying and deporting criminal aliens in more north Texas law enforcement agencies

2/2/2009 San Antonio, TX
New program enhances identifying and deporting criminal aliens in 6 southwest Texas counties

1/30/2009 Mesa, AZ
New ICE program sparks arrest, prosecution of previously deported gang associate in Phoenix area

Last Modified: Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2010
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

Is your STATE on the list?

Is your COUNTY on the list?

Is Your CITY on the list?

Living here in NY I wept as I read this. Run Levy, RUN!

All these nice-sounding press releases aside, until Napolitano restarts the workplace raids, the weakening of 287(g) is rescinded, the no-match SSN letters sent out, the 700 miles of real double-layered Duncan Hunter fence built, and the adminstration drops its pushing of "comprehensive reform" mass amnesty plans -- I (and most of us I believe) know that this adminstration is not serious about ending illegal immigration, nor helping American workers and restoring the rule of law.

Originally Posted by Populist

All these nice-sounding press releases aside, until Napolitano restarts the workplace raids, the weakening of 287(g) is rescinded, the no-match SSN letters sent out, the 700 miles of real double-layered Duncan Hunter fence built, and the adminstration drops its pushing of "comprehensive reform" mass amnesty plans -- I (and most of us I believe) know that this adminstration is not serious about ending illegal immigration, nor helping American workers and restoring the rule of law.[/quote
We'd all like to see more done. But that doesn't mean that we can't appreciate the deportation of criminal illegal aliens from our jails and prisons.
Well from the jails and prisons in the 15 states that actually do anything to make that happen.

Secure Communities is being used by 108 jurisdictions in 15 states.

Texas Secure Communy Counties as of Aug. 2009

Texas
------------
Harris
Dallas-Dallas County Jail
Maverick
Val Verde
Kinney
Real
Dallas & Kaufman-Mesquite PD
Uvalde
Collin
Dallas & Collin-Richardson PD
Zavala
Denton
Hunt
Grayson
Dallas/Collin/Denton-Carrollton PD
Johnson
Dallas-Farmers Branch PD
Dallas-Irving PD
Kaufman
TDCJ
Starr
Brooks
Jim Wells
Kleberg
Kenedy
Hidalgo
Willacy
Bexar
Dimmit
Travis
Webb
Zapata
El Paso
Presidio
Terrell
Nueces
Brewster
Jeff Davis
Pecos
Hudspeth
Culberson
Tarrant