Thread: TX-Fingerprints help catch illegal aliens

Fingerprints help catch illegal aliens

Updated: Monday, 06 Jul 2009, 2:26 PM CDT
Published : Monday, 06 Jul 2009, 1:20 PM CDT
Matt Flener

System underway for three weeks in local jail

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A national push to reform immigration enforcement has started in the Travis County Jail after Travis County officials began linking their fingerprint databases of suspected criminals coming into the jail with federal authorities last month.

The program, called Secure Communities, connects Travis County's fingerprint system with five federal databases including Homeland Security and FBI .

Travis County Sheriff spokesman Roger Wade said the program will help immigration officers cut down on the time spent interviewing jail residents who lie on their citizenship screenings when they come into the jail.

Immigrants' rights groups are expressing concern over the newly implemented system, saying it can lead to numerous cases of mistaken identity from errors within the database systems. They also said the increased scrutiny leads to less crime reported.

"When an arrest for a traffic violation can lead to an encounter with ICE, immigrants will simply not risk contact with local law enforcement, even victims and witnesses of serious crimes will avoid reporting those crimes," said Caroline Keating-Guerra, Immigrants Rights Coalition coordinator.

Ramey Ko, chairman of the Austin Commission on Immigrant Affairs , said he has heard similar stories. Ko will update the Commission Wednesday on the program inside the jails.

"I hear regularly from people, 'If you’ve been attacked don’t call the police,'" said Ko. "People are afraid to call the police for help."

Travis County Major Darren Long said those reports aren't necessarily just linked to immigration, saying people are afraid to report crimes for any type of reason.

Long said he has seen no statistics backing claims that victims are not reporting crimes.

"I don't think it's having any negative affects on victims or witnesses that I know of," Long said.

The fingerprinting program started June 15 in Travis County, though U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has tested the program in several different U.S. cities.

"Our goal with this ICE effort is to use information sharing to prevent criminal aliens from being released back into the community, with little or no additional burden on our local law enforcement partners," said ICE Spokeswoman Nina Pruneda

ICE's Secure Communities Web site said it tries to prioritize immigration enforcement on the most dangerous criminals, reducing disruption to law-abiding immigrant families and communities.

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/mobile/fingerpr ... gal_aliens

""I hear regularly from people, 'If you’ve been attacked don’t call the police,'" said Ko. "People are afraid to call the police for help.""

Maybe it would be safer for them back in their home country. They are free to leave.

Many jails are getting on the system. The Dade County Jail has it and I am going to see if I can get some numbers of how amnyu illegals have been arrested are will be deported.

It's amazing how many excuses illegals give for us not enforcing our laws until it helps them. We spend so much money on police across the nation to protect these people from each other and from us. Funny how they like us when they get something for free.

It's already getting dangerous here like in Mexico. They should just go home and take their gang members, drug dealers and anyone that can't speak English with them.

Immigrants' rights groups are expressing concern over the newly implemented system, saying it can lead to numerous cases of mistaken identity from errors within the database systems. They also said the increased scrutiny leads to less crime reported.

Same argument they are doing with E-Verify, and fingerprints don't lie. The point here is that no authority should investigate who is here--pretty shallow as this is the United States and we can do anything we want.
Horsecrap!

Hmmm....

Web site said it tries to prioritize immigration enforcement on the most dangerous criminals, reducing disruption to law-abiding immigrant families and communities.

Of course, they don't care if they are legal or illegal.

Immigrants' rights groups are expressing concern over the newly implemented system, saying it can lead to numerous cases of mistaken identity from errors within the database systems.

"mistakin identity". Fingerprints dont lie. If they start taking DNA samples are illegal aliens rights groups going to say that the DNA samples could lead to mistaken identity too? Give me a break. They can run but they cant hide.

Immigrants' rights groups are expressing concern over the newly implemented system, saying it can lead to numerous cases of mistaken identity from errors within the database systems. They also said the increased scrutiny leads to less crime reported.

Same old bull, no proof just a bunch of the usual drama and sme old tired complaints.

Dixie

The FBI has my fingerprints, because I was bonded, and the Florida police have my prints for me being qualified to cover the department as a reporter. It never occurred to me once that this was unfair or any sort of profiling, Banks want my thumbprint if I cash a check, and if someone needs a scan of my iris for biometrics, no problem, as that could prove some illegal that has stolen my identity to work is not me.
I am not against this country, but want to see it succeed to the world model it once used to be. But with our influx of illegals, you have to be bilingual to get any job incase some Spanish-speaker walks in and must be accommodated. The English language has fallen by the wayside to make sure everyone understands what this country is about, as if they care; they are mostly here for our money and nothing else. In their communities they don't need to speak English, so why bother learning and especially if you can't read or write in your own language?