Fights Over "Secure Communities"
http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2011-08-10/fights-over-secure-communities
Local police have shared information with federal officials for decades. Over the last two years the "Secure Communities" program has been rolled out in fits and starts, with states being given the option of sharing information with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or not. But last week, the federal government called off all local agreements about the program -- effectively requiring full participation from all parties. We'll explore what this means for localities and why the program continues to cause controversy around the country.
Guests
Brian Bennett
Washington bureau reporter, Los Angeles Times
Sunita Patel
Staff Attorney, Center for Constitutional Rights
David Martin
Warner-Booker Distinguished Professor of International Law, University of Virginia; Deputy General Counsel, Department of Homeland Security (2009-2011)
Comments
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States should be able to opt out! This program seems like a huge step back by alienating communities, distancing local police from neighborhoods, and degrading the sovereignty of States by making it harder for them to safeguard their residents. In many ways, this policy seems to be doing the opposite of what it espouses!
As a female member of the immigrant community in the US, I believe this program MUST BE implemented and enforced by all states and counties, because it is designed to protect communities. The domestic abuse scenarios so forcefully discussed/protected by the panelist, has become an "abused loophole" by NON-LEGAL immigrants, in this case women. Behind the scenes, the word has spread throughout our communities for women to "dishonestly claim" domestic abuse from their legal US citizen partner in order to EXPEDITE their marital immigration status process (green card). The scenario is: Wife claims abuse occurred, the husband is arrested and receives a police record (sometimes criminal) while the immigrant wife is able to divorce the husband and expedite her green card process without a question. This is marital immigration fraud, aided by our tax paying dollars. Our communities suffer because we now have innocent "US citizens" with a police record of domestic violence, and women who will soon become mom's that believe "cheating the system is a value". A person should not be allowed to do this without any enforcement and thorough case management by ICE and local authorities. The current immigration enforcement laws are flawed. Again I am an immigrant women who is part of the community that "the immigration advocates" claim to be protecting. As a naturalized US citizen, I do not feel protected and community values are being shattered. I would love to discuss this topic further, please allow people like me to also have a voice.