Thread: I.C.E. removes 5,500 from L.A. jail, 37,900 other U.S. jails

I.C.E. News Release

September 2, 2010

Secure Communities leads to removal of more than 5,500 convicted criminal aliens from LA County in first year

LOS ANGELES - Since its activation in Los Angeles County a year ago, the biometric information sharing capability deployed as part of the Secure Communities initiative has resulted in the identification and removal of more than 5,500 convicted criminal aliens from the United States who were encountered by local law enforcement in the county.

The information sharing capability, a key component of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) comprehensive strategy to enhance efforts to identify and remove convicted criminal aliens from the country, uses biometric identification to alert ICE when potentially removable aliens are arrested by local law enforcement.

Of the 5,585 aliens removed from Los Angeles County in the last year, nearly 2,500 are considered Level 1 offenders, which includes those convicted of serious or violent crimes, such murder, sexual assault and robbery. Another 2,540 are Level 2 offenders, which includes individuals with convictions for offenses such as arson, burglary and property crimes. As part of the Secure Communities strategy, ICE is prioritizing its enforcement efforts to ensure individuals who pose the greatest threat to public safety are removed first.

Regardless of the offenses for which individuals are initially booked, the Secure Communities screening may reveal more serious criminal histories. In one Los Angeles case, a fingerprint check of an individual with multiple aliases arrested on a warrant for failing to appear in court turned out to be a foreign national with a lengthy criminal history, including convictions for voluntary manslaughter and carrying a concealed weapon. In addition, the subject had been removed from the United States multiple times. The subject was convicted of illegal re-entry after removal and sentenced to 27 months in federal prison. Upon completion of his sentence, ICE will remove him from the United States.

Prior to the activation of Secure Communities, fingerprint-based biometric records 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), fingerprint information 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's biometric system, the new automated process notifies ICE. ICE evaluates each case to determine the individual's immigration status and takes appropriate immigration enforcement action. This includes aliens who are lawfully and unlawfully in the United States, but who have been arrested and booked into local law enforcement custody for a crime. Once identified through fingerprint matching, ICE prioritizes its response to focus on criminal aliens convicted of the most serious crimes first-such as those with convictions for major drug offenses, murder, rape and kidnapping. In accordance with the Immigration and Nationality Act, ICE continues to take action on aliens subject to removal as resources permit.

"Last year, ICE prevented thousands of convicted criminal aliens in Los Angeles County from being released back into the community," said David Venturella, assistant director for Secure Communities. "Through the Secure Communities strategy, we're increasing community safety by enforcing federal immigration law in a smart, effective way that targets the greatest threats for removal first."

Los Angeles County is one of 28 jurisdictions in California that are currently benefiting from Secure Communities. The information sharing capability has helped ICE remove more than 12,400 criminal aliens arrested throughout the state. Nationwide, ICE is using the capability in 574 jurisdictions across 30 states, and it has helped ICE remove more than 37,900 criminal aliens from the country.

For more information, visit www.ice.gov/secure_communities .

-- ICE --

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.

Last Modified: Thursday, September 2, 2010
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/1009/100902losangeles.htm

No mention of this on the L.A. TIMES site yet.

On Aug. 10, 2010 there were 544 Secure Communities.

On Sept. 2, 2010 there are 574.

RELATED

CA. San Bernardino County deports higher rate of 'non criminal' illegal aliens

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-211205.html

"Last year, ICE prevented thousands of convicted criminal aliens in Los Angeles County from being released back into the community," said David Venturella, assistant director for Secure Communities. "Through the Secure Communities strategy, we're increasing community safety by enforcing federal immigration law in a smart, effective way that targets the greatest threats for removal first."

The criminals are taken out of prison, thrown in the revolving door at the border, and communities are now safe?

Federal program results in deportation of illegal aliens with criminal records
From staff reports
Posted: 09/03/2010 06:01:08 PM PDTUpdated: 09/03/2010 06:22:59 PM PDT

More than 5,500 illegal immigrants with criminal records were deported from Los Angeles County during the first year of a federal crackdown called the Secure Communities initiative.

Under the Immigration and Customs Enforcement program, the criminals were identified through coordinated information sharing by law enforcement agencies.

In all, 5,585 illegal immigrants were removed from the county over the past year. Nearly 2,500 were considered Level 1 offenders, which includes those convicted of murder, sexual assault, robbery and other serious or violent crimes.

Officials said 2,540 of the illegal immigrants were Level 2 offenders, whose convictions include arson, burglary and property crimes.

The criminals were returned to their known home countries, although there was no immediate breakdown on their destinations, officials said. There also was no breakdown for the communities in which those offenders lived.

In the past, suspects booked in county jails had their fingerprints checked for criminal history only in the Justice Department's biometric system.

Now, under the Secure Communities initiative, everyone booked into county jails has their fingerprints screened in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's immigration databases.

"Last year, ICE prevented thousands of convicted criminal aliens in Los Angeles County from being released back into the community," David Venturella, assistant director for Secure Communities, said in a statement.

The 28 California jurisdictions participating in the program together deported more than 12,400 illegal immigrants with criminal records, officials said.

Nationally, nearly 38,000 criminal illegal aliens were deported from the 574 jurisdictions in 30 states that are participating in the Secure Communities initiative.

http://www.dailybreeze.com/latestnews/ci_15986030

The men went to jail and got deported so the women signed up the anchor babies for welfare and food stamps.

$52M in benefits for anchor babies has L.A. County concerned
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-211280.html