Imperial County Jail Now Checks Immigration Records

CBS47.com
September 10, 2009

IMPERIAL, Calif. (AP) — Law enforcement agencies in Imperial County can now check the immigration status of people they arrest when fingerprints are taken during booking.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Thursday that Imperial joins about 80 other counties nationwide in the program called Secure Communities. Los Angeles and San Diego are among them.

The program lets local law enforcement check fingerprints against a federal immigration system in addition to criminal records. ICE is notified if the fingerprints yield a match in the immigration system.

ICE plans to extend the program nationwide by the end of 2013.

Imperial County is in the California's southeast corner, bordering Mexico and Arizona. The county jail houses an average of about 600 people a day.

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