County gains access to immigration files



Wed, 11/18/2009 - 01:42





SIERRA VISTA — The Department of Homeland Security is extending access to its immigration records to local law enforcement agencies in a move to identify immigrants with a criminal history.

The Secure Communities initiative will give the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office, and all those agencies that utilize its jails, the ability to cross reference suspects’ information with the DHS immigration database during typical booking procedures, said Jon Gurule, deputy field office director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention and removal operations.

“The key phrase here is interoperability,â€