Fairfield Daily Republic 7-29-10


Feds finger criminal aliens
By Kelvin Wade
July 29, 2010

Now that a U.S. District Judge has temporarily blocked the most controversial parts of the Arizona immigration law we can let the federal government enforce our borders.

The government is expanding a program called Secure Communities to catch illegal immigrants. In participating communities, whenever anyone is booked into jail for any crime their fingerprints are entered into the FBI criminal history records and Department of Homeland Security immigration records to check for an arrest record and their immigration status. Those criminal aliens are seized and given the boot.

Opponents of Arizona's SB1070 are lining up against the federal government's program as well. Why? I can understand initial opposition to the Arizona law. The law, as first enacted, required cops to check the immigration status of anyone suspected of being an illegal after any contact with police. It was a law, championed by a state senator with ties to racists and hate groups, that reeked so much of racial profiling that several police chiefs announced they wouldn't enforce it.

The bottom line, opponents argued, is that federal immigration law trumps state law. The judge agreed.

So enter this little-known federal program that is quietly identifying criminal aliens and sending them on their way.

It's not radical. In California, we require everyone arrested for a felony to give a DNA sample to enter into a criminal database for hits on unsolved crimes. Surely that is more invasive than fingerprints, which are going to be taken of anyone arrested anyway.

Police already run suspects through the FBI's National Crime Information Center database and suspected serial offenders through the FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program database.

The program is currently in 26 states but the goal is to have it everywhere by 2013. Still some communities, like San Francisco, of course, have fought implementing the program.

Secure Communities eliminates the possibility of racial profiling because it checks the fingerprints of everyone arrested regardless of race. Police aren't placed in a position to profile.

Since October 2008, the program has identified almost 35,000 illegals that have prior arrests or convictions for serious crimes such as rape and murder. The program has identified more than 200,000 who have previously been convicted of lesser crimes.

We need comprehensive immigration reform with a guest worker program and a path to citizenship coupled with strong border enforcement. But until we get there it's Immigration and Customs Enforcement's' duty to locate and deport illegals. Especially in these cases, why would anyone be advocating for illegal immigrants who are here committing crimes?

Granted, the name of the program sounds creepy and Orwellian and any time we're talking about sifting through a national database it bunches the undies of civil libertarians. But part of the reason for Arizona's SB1070 law was that the federal government wasn't dealing with the problem.

Opponents of the Arizona law say it's the federal government's job to enforce immigration law. Well, they're getting their wish. Peace.
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ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Opponents of Secure Communities have pointed out that the information garnered by fingerprints come before the person has been convicted of anything. Look, it's not that difficult to go through life and not be arrested. If you're arrested and you're here illegally, it's hard for me to work up the sympathy for you.

A CNN poll out today shows that the overwhelming majority of Americans believe that illegal immigrants are just coming here to work and make a better life for themselves. That's truly the case. We understand that. But it's not a sustainable situation. I won't get into the whole illegal immigration debate but if one is caught here illegally, they must be deported.

We need comprehensive reform. Most Americans believe there should be a path to citizenship for those who live here, work here and pay back taxes. BUT, we've got to shut down the border or else by setting up such a program, we'll create a huge draw for more illegal immigration. So enforcement has to be a strong component of any plan.

It's true that most illegal immigrants don't commit crimes here. However, if you're here breaking laws, we definitely don't want you here. There's no good reason why we should take another country's felons. We have enough of our own. Secure Communities addresses this.

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