Thread: IL: LULAC Protests Winnebago County "Secure Communities

Updated: 10:34 PM Jun 9, 2010
UPDATE: LULAC Protests Winnebago County "Secure Communities" Program

A new program aimed at deporting illegal immigrants who break the law is just starting in Winnebago County.

Posted: 7:28 PM Jun 9, 2010
5 Comments

Legislation dealing with illegal immigrants has become a hot button issue in light of a tough new law in Arizona. And now members of the Latin-American community in Winnebago county are calling a new program here racist, but local law enforcement officials say it will actually make us safer.

"We're here to say shut this program down, this program will destroy our families!"

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Winnebago County Justice Center Wednesday, Showing their anger over the "Secure Communities" program. Five Illinois counties already use the pilot program to identify and remove criminal aliens from the United States. But the local chapter of the league of Latin-American citizens say it's racial profiling.

"Are we giving a license to law enforcement agents in this county that already have an anti-immigrant sentiment to do racial profiling and directly act in a racist way?" said Julie Contreras , LULAC.

Every time someone enters the Winnebago County jail on criminal charges, thay have their fingerprints scanned. Normally that would just go to the FBI, now, it's also sent to the Department of Homeland Security. If the suspect entered the country illegally, they can be held for immigration and customs enforcement. So far 22 people have been flagged for pick-up by ICE. Of the 22.. 19 were being held for serious criminal offences.

"One person two counts of murder, another person reckless homicide, another person reckless homicide, aggravated kidnapping, residential burglary, reckless homicide, domestic battery, aggravated criminal sexual abuse if that's the type of people it's identifying it's an outstanding program, the people I talk to don't want them in our community," said Winnebago County Sheriff Dick Meyers.

Those protesting say they have no problem with serious criminals being punished; their concern lies more with friends and family members being arrested and deported for minor violations.

"We're not Arizona, we're here in Illinois, if it's minor violations, immigration probable won't bother with them, but for those people who are on charges like this, that go through the county jails nationwide, to be able to identify them, from an immigration standpoint is a plus," Meyers said.

Sheriff Meyers says because the program is fingerprint based, it can actually prevent racial profiling. Since "Secure Communities" started sharing information in 2008, ICE has identified almost 22 thousand aliens charged or convicted with level one crimes such as murder and kidnapping.

"Secure Communities" started as a pilot program here in Winnebago county last month. The Department of Homeland Security hopes to take it nationwide by 2013.

http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/96011034.html

dont back down Winnebago county.
we all know LULAC speaks for the minority and not the majority.

Well, how can it be racial profiling if they are basing it on someones fingerprints? "Hey buddy, let me see your hands, wait a minute, those don't look like American fingerprints!".



I had a new interpreted name for LULAC, but I don't think it is polite enough to post here, so guess I should not. But...I will say this, they are a League of Underthinking Lunatics And Chumps.

Legislation dealing with illegal immigrants has become a hot button issue in light of a tough new law in Arizona. And now members of the Latin-American community in Winnebago county are calling a new program here racist, but local law enforcement officials say it will actually make us safer.

Once again, these la raza disciples run straight for the race card. Nothing new here!

"We're here to say shut this program down, this program will destroy our families!"

In other words, this new law will enhance existing law by arresting and deporting illegal invaders. Deporting illegal invaders does not destroy families, crossing our border illegally does!

Ya know, it wouldn't separate the families if we just deported whole families of the illegals....

So true, where the parents are, so should the kids be till they are 18 and can live on their own. If the parents are deported, the kids should never be allowed to stay behind without their parents, and if the parents did, then the state they live in should consider severing the ties with the parents and putting the children up for adoption, which would then also eliminate the option for the illegal parents to use their kids citizenship status as a means to make them legal later on.

What happens to American citizens who abandon their children? They would find them, try them for abandonment and then make the parents pay for the costs associated with the childs care, and when the case warrants it, they take away the parents rights to the child and put that child up for adoption. Why not illegal aliens who allow themselves to be deported without their Americans born children? It should be the same rules for them.

yep...use the good old "race card" thing again...now they claim the computers and scanners are racist for identifying a Mexican fingerprint from an American fingerprint....they are doing a good job of making the words like "racist", "racial profiling" "discrimination", "bigots", become meaningless words in vocabulary as more and more people ignore those words anymore to have no meaning to them because they have used those cards up.

10-15 years ago I would have been very upset if somebody called me racist or a bigot but after all these years of hearing these claims thrown around carelessly at every situation that didn't fit in with their agenda my skin has gotten really thick as a result. Call me what you want but at the end of the day facts are facts.

Racist to me is a Hispanic person who calls racisym on a program designed to test anybody who is processed for an arrest being checked for immigration status as part of the booking protocol. I also call it an uneducated thought process lacking of logic. You can't argue with stupid because you will never win. It requires to many good brain cells to be used up.