Thread: Dallas County To Check Immigration Database

Nov 11, 2008 4:21 pm US/Central
Dallas County To Check Immigration Database

DALLAS (AP) ― Jailers in Dallas County and four North Carolina counties will soon be able to check inmates' criminal and immigration histories simultaneously as part of an expanding new nationwide program, federal officials said Tuesday.

The "Secure Communities" program will expand to more than 50 jails around the country by next spring, allowing officials access both federal criminal and immigration records when they take suspects' fingerprints during the booking process, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.

When fingerprints match those of a non-U.S. citizen, ICE's Law Enforcement Support Center will electronically be notified so agents can evaluate the case and decide how to handle it. Local law enforcement can't take action against those flagged by the immigration database unless they have been trained and authorized to enforce immigration law under ICE supervision.

"I think this one of the programs that has the most potential to really revolutionize law enforcement in terms of identifying criminal aliens," Julie Myers, assistant secretary of homeland security, told The Associated Press.

Not everyone who's information is found in the immigration database is an illegal immigrant. The database includes information on non-U.S. citizens who are legally in the country.

Dallas County and Wake County in North Carolina are scheduled to begin using the program Wednesday. Gaston, Buncombe and Henderson counties in North Carolina will begin using it by next week.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office in Texas and Suffolk County in Massachusetts began using the program recently.

http://cbs11tv.com

Only 50 jails, needs to expand further, if were gonna catch the criminals.