Thread: A call for the Mayor and Police Chief to step back on anti-i

Not in msm yet, but something for us to do to let Mayor Nutter know we want immigration enforcement in Philadelphia. Bucks and Montgomery Counties already have this and it's working.

Mayor Michael Nutter 215-686-2181/Fax 215-686-2180

http://www.youngphillypolitics.com/call ... nt_program

A call for the Mayor and Police Chief to step back on anti-immigrant program
Submitted by HelenGym on Thu, 08/20/2009 - 4:28pm. ICE immigration Mayor Michael Nutter Police Chief Charles Ramsey
This morning dozens of community members along with several elected officials held a press conference with Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition to encourage the Mayor and Police Chief to reject participation in a federal immigrant tracking program called "Secure Communities."

The program would require police officers to contact ICE (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement which is solely responsible for detention and deportation in immigration matters) as soon as individuals were booked through a federal fingerprinting process. This program is the most recent in a series of ICE programs that make local police the contact point between immigrants and ICE agents.

In other cities, the program has led to serious concerns around selective enforcement and racial profiling, expensive re-direction of personnel resources, and an increase in detention. The increase in detention happens because if there is a match between the federal database and a local individual, ICE will place a detainer on that individual. According to the National Immigration Law Center, ICE frequently does not pick up individuals within a 48 hour time period, "leaving them in detention limbo but often without the means to challenge their unlawful detention."

As Sean and others have eloquently and frequently noted, there's a serious problem in community policing when programs like "Secure Communities" start popping up. In a personal case I was familiar with, a father of a student at a local charter was pulled over for a minor traffic infraction. He was found to have a match in the ICE database, and was eventually hauled off to detention in a West Coast jail, leaving his family bereft. The rest of his family had cleared immigration and he himself was winding through an appeals process, but a basic interaction with a police officer resulted in a real risk for deportation. The family eventually left Philadelphia for New York City, one more loss of tax contributing individuals and an outstanding student in the school system.

In other cases, PICC has noted that the program can sweep up people who could be victims and witnesses for crimes, or are entirely innocent or cleared of charges. It's not like we have a stellar language access system with our local police (although efforts are being made to improve the situation).

More than 700 individuals and dozens of organizations are signed onto a letter to the Mayor, calling upon him to reject the program. Councilman James Kenney, who's been outstanding on this issue, noted that New York City isn't part of this program.

Philadelphia doesn't need it either.

To view and sign the letter, read about it here and contact PICC.




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http://www.youngphillypolitics.com/

Anti-immigrant Idiocy Spreads to Philadelphia
Submitted by HelenGym on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 6:15am.
link:
PICC
This alarming email came from Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition.

Dear PICC members and Friends,

Last month, Philadelphia, became part of the Department of Homeland Security's "Secure Communities" program. Under Secure Communities, when anyone is booked by local law enforcement, their fingerprints are run through the Department of Homeland Security’s databases to screen for criminal convictions and immigration status. This program gives ICE access to immigration status information before criminal justice issues can be resolved. This includes cases where victims or bystanders, were booked before the police obtained language assistance and sorted out the details. In communities where similar ICE programs have been implemented, they have led to selective enforcement of minor infractions on communities perceived as deportable, resulting in deportation of undocumented individuals. While the program claims to prioritize serious offenses, similar programs in other jurisdictions have found that the application is broad, including a high percentage of traffic offenses. Individuals are being deported as a result of undocumented status and booking for minor infractions. This creates a climate of fear in which community members are afraid to interact with the police – afraid to come forward as victims and witnesses and report crime.

This program is the most recent in a series of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) programs that make local police the contact point between immigrants and ICE agents. ICE also has access to the local PARS system used by police and the courts, which allows them more detailed information on cases. Secure Communities formalizes data sharing that has been going on in Philadelphia for a number of months, and is counter to the City’s stated goals. By granting ICE immediate access to arrest information before criminal justice issues can be resolved, Secure Communities sacrifices the mission of integrating immigrant populations into the Philadelphia community at large, endangers the success of community policing, and threatens the human and civil rights of all Philadelphia residents.

PICC is gathering signatories (individual and organizational) for a letter to the Mayor. For more information on the letter, contact Hillary Blecker at picc.organizer@gmail.com by 3pm Friday August 7. If you do not have email, call 215-832-3482 and leave a message to sign on.
Anti-immigrant Idiocy Spreads to Philadelphia
Submitted by HelenGym on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 6:15am.
link:
PICC
This alarming email came from Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition.

Dear PICC members and Friends,

Last month, Philadelphia, became part of the Department of Homeland Security's "Secure Communities" program. Under Secure Communities, when anyone is booked by local law enforcement, their fingerprints are run through the Department of Homeland Security’s databases to screen for criminal convictions and immigration status. This program gives ICE access to immigration status information before criminal justice issues can be resolved. This includes cases where victims or bystanders, were booked before the police obtained language assistance and sorted out the details. In communities where similar ICE programs have been implemented, they have led to selective enforcement of minor infractions on communities perceived as deportable, resulting in deportation of undocumented individuals. While the program claims to prioritize serious offenses, similar programs in other jurisdictions have found that the application is broad, including a high percentage of traffic offenses. Individuals are being deported as a result of undocumented status and booking for minor infractions. This creates a climate of fear in which community members are afraid to interact with the police – afraid to come forward as victims and witnesses and report crime.

This program is the most recent in a series of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) programs that make local police the contact point between immigrants and ICE agents. ICE also has access to the local PARS system used by police and the courts, which allows them more detailed information on cases. Secure Communities formalizes data sharing that has been going on in Philadelphia for a number of months, and is counter to the City’s stated goals. By granting ICE immediate access to arrest information before criminal justice issues can be resolved, Secure Communities sacrifices the mission of integrating immigrant populations into the Philadelphia community at large, endangers the success of community policing, and threatens the human and civil rights of all Philadelphia residents.

PICC is gathering signatories (individual and organizational) for a letter to the Mayor. For more information on the letter, contact Hillary Blecker at picc.organizer@gmail.com by 3pm Friday August 7. If you do not have email, call 215-832-3482 and leave a message to sign on.

This statement about Americans being Anti-immigrant is right up their with being called a racist. It's an old stupid and boring false allegation. Americans are not Anti-immigrant our nation is filled with legal immigrants that built our country, we are proud of them.

However, if you look at the behavior and actions of illegals it's clear to see that THEY Are Anti-American.

Done... called and left and voice mail in STRONG support of "Secure Communities"... thanks for the post, Miguelina!!!!!!

First, who is Sean and the others that are so eloquent and frequent?
And these folks are doing what to help illegals realize the so-called American dream, besides whining?

Vortex wrote: "First, who is Sean and the others that are so eloquent and frequent?"

[size=18]Maybe he's an "illegal immigrant???????????[/size]

How is 9-11 different than illegal aliens killing American Citizens daily in our local communities?

Out of 3,000 police and sheriff districts there are only about 70 districts that use the 287g Program.

What does 85% of Americans for Immigration Enforcement think about waste of time and money by not having the 287g Program? E-Verify?

The Census Farce is coming up, too!

Posted on Fri, Aug. 21, 2009


Nutter disagrees with coalition view of federal program
By Michael Matza


A coalition of immigrant advocates and elected officials yesterday called on Mayor Nutter to halt the city's participation in "Secure Communities," a federal program that asks local police to check the immigration status of arrestees and hold them for Immigration and Customs Enforcement if they are undocumented.

Initiated in March 2008, Secure Communities is being phased in county by county, with full coverage nationwide expected by 2013. It is in effect in Bucks and Montgomery Counties and, since July 21, in Philadelphia.

Under Secure Communities, the fingerprints of a person charged with a crime are submitted to the FBI for a criminal-background check and to a database maintained by the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration. If it turns out the person is not in the United States legally, he or she is held for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and possible deportation.

Immigration officials say the goal is to "better identify criminal aliens" and "prioritize enforcement actions on those posing the greatest threat to public safety."

But opponents say the program engenders distrust between local police and immigrant communities because undocumented immigrants will be afraid to report crimes. It opens the door to arrests based on racial profiling, and will drive up the city's prison costs, the critics say.

"We are urging . . . the mayor not to cooperate because it makes people afraid of police," said Councilman James F. Kenney, who added his signature to a letter to Nutter from more than 30 pro-immigrant groups. "As far as ignoring the federal government, on some things they should be ignored because on some things they are wrong."

Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez warned that a surge in immigrant detentions could result in prison overcrowding. "Immigration [enforcement] is a federal issue that should stay a federal issue," she said.

Mark Medvesky, a spokesman for ICE in Philadelphia, said the law permits Philadelphia to "opt out" of the program, "but I can't imagine why they would want to. It's not a mandate. It's considered a tool for law enforcement agencies to use."

He said prison overcrowding is not critical because such detentions expire after 48 hours. No one's fingerprints are put into the system until after they are booked for a crime, he said.

Doug Oliver, a spokesman for Mayor Nutter, said, "Our general sense is that because crime victims and witnesses are not fingerprinted, Secure Communities does not have a chilling effect on anyone's desire to come forward and work with police."

He said Nutter saw no reason to halt the program.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/pa ... ogram.html

All military members are fingerprinted. Fingerprint everyone each chance we get them in jails or prisons.