U.S. Sen. Scott Brown renews call for full implementation of Secure Communities progr
masslive.com
By Robert Rizzuto, The Republican
Updated: Tuesday, February 21, 2012, 4:59 PM
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Sen. Scott Brown is calling on Bay state officials to cooperate fully in the implementation of the Secure Communities program. Critics have charged that the program criminalizes people who are in the country illegally who otherwise obey the law. (Photo courtesy of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement)
MILFORD – Following a weekend incident where an alleged illegal immigrant from Ecuador was accused of stabbing a man at a house party in Milford, U.S. Sen Scott Brown, R-Mass., is renewing his plea for Gov. Deval Patrick to cooperate with the Secure Communities program, which alerts federal authorities when an illegal immigrant is accused of a crime.
The incident involved 23-year old David Segundo Dutan-Guaman, reportedly an illegal immigrant, who allegedly stabbed another man in the arm during a party. The accused is the brother of illegal immigrant Nicolas Dutan Guaman, who is accused of driving drunk and running over 23-year-old Milford resident Matthew Denice last August, dragging him to his death.
Brown, who previously took issue with Patrick's refusal to sign a memorandum of understanding of the federal program, is again calling for the state to cooperate with implementation of Secure Communities.
“This latest incident is proof that we need to do more to enforce our immigration laws,” Brown said. “It is unacceptable that there are people in the country illegally who are also committing serious crimes and threatening public safety. It’s time we applied some common sense before more people are hurt or killed.”
Under the Secure Communities program, fingerprints taken from a criminal suspect on the local level would be turned over to the FBI, who would share them with the Department of Homeland Security. If an accused person was found to be in the U.S. illegally, Immigration and Customs Enforcement could initiate deportation proceedings.
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Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown is again calling on the federal government to activate the program statewide and for Gov. Deval Patrick to help facilitate its expansion.
When the program was first announced, the Obama administration asked for each state to sign on but following resistance by some governors, including Patrick, the President said the program would proceed with or without their cooperation.
In September, Brown joined a chorus of sheriffs from across the Bay State in asking state authorities to cooperate with the program. Currently, the program has only been implemented in Suffolk County in Massachusetts with the state's remaining 14 public safety jurisdictions yet to be activated.
Critics of the program have charged that it would lead to increased racial profiling and criminalize illegal immigrants who do otherwise obey the law.
In December, Springfield native Joe Arpaio, the sheriff of Maricopa County in Arizona, saw his access to the Secure Communities program restricted after the Department of Justice found his office had been using discriminatory policing practices to round up suspected illegal immigrants.
A Department of Homeland Security review of the Secure Communities program in September revealed that many of those deported by the program since its implementation were charged with minor crimes. The full report in PDF form is embedded below this story.
On Monday, officials in Connecticut announced that police agencies in the state would cooperate with the program, but only in a limited manner. Officials in New Haven cited the "chilling effect" ICE raids in 2007 had on the community as a reason for only participating when offenders are accused of serious crimes. Last week, the federal government agreed to a $350,000 settlement and to stop deportation proceedings against 11 men who say their rights were violated during the raid.
The Secure Communities program is expected to begin in Connecticut on Wednesday.
Homeland Security Advisory Council Task Force on Secure Communities Findings and Recommendations
U.S. Sen. Scott Brown renews call for full implementation of Secure Communities program following stabbing by alleged illegal immigrant | masslive.com
