Thread: Carroll County, Md., now an I.C.E. Secure Community

I.C.E. News Release

December 22, 2010
Westminster, MD

Carroll County, Md., to benefit from ICE strategy to use biometrics to identify and remove aliens convicted of a crime

WESTMINSTER, Md. — On Tuesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began using a federal information-sharing capability in Carroll County that helps federal immigration officials use biometrics to identify aliens, both lawfully and unlawfully present in the United States, who are booked into local law enforcement's custody for a crime. This capability is part of Secure Communities—ICE's comprehensive strategy to improve and modernize the identification and removal of aliens convicted of a crime from the United States.

Previously, biometrics—fingerprints—taken of individuals charged with a crime and booked into custody were checked for criminal history information against the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). Now, through enhanced information sharing between DOJ and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), biometrics submitted through the state to the FBI will be automatically checked against both the FBI criminal history records in IAFIS and the biometrics-based immigration records in DHS's Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT).

If fingerprints match those of someone in DHS' biometric system, the new automated process notifies ICE. ICE evaluates each case to determine the individual's immigration status and takes appropriate enforcement action. This includes aliens who are in lawful status and those who are present without lawful authority. Once identified through fingerprint matching, ICE will respond with a priority placed on aliens convicted of the most serious crimes first—such as those with convictions for major drug offenses, murder, rape and kidnapping.

"The Secure Communities strategy provides ICE with an effective tool to identify criminal aliens in local custody," said Secure Communities Assistant Director David Venturella. "Enhancing public safety is at the core of ICE's mission. Our goal is to use biometric information sharing to remove criminal aliens, preventing them from being released back into the community, with little or no additional burden on our law enforcement partners."

With the expansion of the biometric information-sharing capability to Carroll County, ICE is using this capability in the following six Maryland counties: Baltimore County, Frederick, Prince George's, Queen Anne and Saint Mary's. Across the country, ICE is using this capability in 868 jurisdictions in 35 states. By 2013, ICE plans to be able to respond nationwide to all fingerprint matches generated through IDENT/IAFIS interoperability.

"The early addition of Secure Communities technology in Carroll County enhances our longstanding partnership with U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, while increasing law enforcement's ability to quickly identify and remove criminal aliens and potential terrorists from our community," said Carroll County Sheriff Ken Tregoning.

Since ICE began using this enhanced information sharing capability in October 2008, immigration officers have removed from the United States more than 54,500 aliens convicted of a crime. ICE does not regard aliens charged with, but not yet convicted of crimes, as "criminal aliens." Instead, a "criminal alien" is an alien convicted of a crime. In accordance with the Immigration and Nationality Act, ICE continues to take action on aliens subject to removal as resources permit.

The IDENT system is maintained by DHS's US-VISIT program and IAFIS is maintained by the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS).

"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 CJIS 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 about how ICE is using biometrics to identify aliens convicted of a crime, visit http://www.ice.gov/secure_communities .


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

ICE is 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.

U.S. Dept of Homeland Security

http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1012/1 ... inster.htm

Their only removing serious offenders, which I guess is better than nothing, but not really if they're back by dinner!

More illegal immigrants being deported for lesser offenses

. . . "In the past few years, we have seen a disturbing trend of escalated arrests of non-criminal immigrants who, through collaboration of local law enforcement agencies and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), end up in deportation proceedings," she wrote in a letter to Milwaukee County Board Chairman Lee Holloway and other county supervisors. . .

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/98212579.html

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Deportation for a traffic violation

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-205709.html

Immigration activists decry law enforcement program

October 30, 2010

. . . ICE removed from the country more than 392,000 undocumented immigrants -- half of them convicted criminals. It was the first time in memory that the number of people deported with criminal records matched the number of non-criminal deportations in the same fiscal year. . .

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-216751.html