March 7, 2011 | 1:38 PM | By

Secure Communities takes a political casualty

FILED UNDER: Police, Immigration, Secure Communities


By Jaime Omar Yassin

City and police officials across the country are realizing that adding immigration enforcement to police duties not be as good an idea as it  once seemed. Increasing local resistance to the federal Secure Communities program, which shares fingerprints of all arrestees with immigration control, has  produced at least one political casualty. A little over a week after criticizing Providence’s Public Safety Commissioner for requesting clarification from the Justice Department on the “opt out” procedure for the program, State Police Superintendent Brendan P. Dougherty has resigned. Officials in Rhode Island–like the governor and the mayor of Providence–have been skeptical of the program, which some say is a dragnet for rounding up undocumented immigrants.

Dougherty had been Superintendent for just two weeks, but ran into trouble once his pro-Secure Communities stance became public.

The resignation comes on the heels of a report issued by the Police Executive Research Forum—a national research and advocacy organization of progressive police administrators—detailing increasing wariness of local police and city officials to mix immigration control with policing. Despite listing fairly centrist recommendations for national immigration policy, the report nevertheless takes a sharp view on programs like Secure Communities and 287(g), a program that deputizes police as immigration agents. The report recommends that local police forces be “prohibited from arresting or detaining persons for the sole purpose of  investigating their immigration status” and that “officers should arrest” perpetrators “without regard to the immigration status of the alleged perpetrator or victim.” The recommendations go to the heart of the two most controversial aspects of Secure Communities that have led many observers to conclude that victims of crimes, including domestic violence, may be reluctant to contact police, for fear of arrest on immigration violations. Camila Hayes at the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence told the California Report that increased anxiety over immigration status caused by the Secure Communities program would cause victims to be “more likely to stay with an abusive partner.”

The PERF report also notes, specifically in the case of New Haven, CT, and Prince William County, VA, that immigrants are often more likely to be crime victims, and that their discomfort with police could make them increased targets of opportunity.

Participants at a Policing and Immigration community forum in Fruitvale on Saturday, March 5, brought up other unintended consequences of the S-Comm program, noting that it sews confusion and doubt about local government institutions and services. Documented and undocumented family members may hesitate to seek food and cash assistance from the county and may balk at taking unscrupulous landlords to court. The forum was sponsored by the No on S-Comm in Alameda County Coalition.

Michelle Kuo, a staff attorney at Centro Legal de La Raza and forum participant, echoed these concerns. “SComm makes it inevitable that immigrants will associate the police with deportation, not public safety,”  Kuo said.

Kuo was hopeful, however, that police opposition to such programs can ultimately turn the tide. “I think one powerful strategy for organizers would be to identify police officers who are opposed to SComm and help give voice to their experiences.” Kuo said. “Scomm creates a culture of fear in the immigrant community that makes people afraid to report crimes or cooperate with investigations. SComm is the ultimate misnomer, and there are police officers who understand this intimately.”

Jaime Omar Yassin is an Oakland writer and founding blogger at Hyphenated-Republic.

  • We-flushed-the-dream-act-turd

    Bill HIng is a DINK!

  • Magyart

    Secure Communities is being welcomed by local law enforcement and communities across the county. It’s merely a basic warrant check for people that are arressted. Everyone that has ignored the legal pathway to citizenship is subject to deportation.

    Visit NumbrsUSA and ALIPAC and help fight illegal immigration.

  • So sad…

    All illegal immigrants are to be deported, and will be at one point or another. Groups which work to shield illegal immigrants from being held accountable for their legal violations are simply pawns of Big Business which seeks an endless supply of slave labor. It’s sad that the so-called “pro-immigrant” crowd couldn’t care less about the high unemployment rates in the Black community. But it’s not new: Frederick Douglass was frustrated by “pro-immigrant” groups pushing for mass immigration as soon as Blacks were freed from slavery when he said: “They would rather have laborers who would work for nothing; but as they cannot get the negro on these terms, they want Chinamen, who, they hope, will work for next to nothing.”

    Nothing has changed.

  • Anonymous

    Attrition through Enforcement

    Nowadays it is bad news for all those illegal nationals who entered this country, without permission. State laws are tightening up, as the feds have refused to tackle this battle ground Issue. A few States are going against the grain of most US citizens and legal residency. Those particular States as Utah and Washington State are soon going to be painfully aware, as the word gets around of poorly enforced laws. Supplementary States that are leaving the illegal alien floodgates open will also be paying dearly, which means fiscal suffering for their legal people. Better be ready for an onslaught of economic thunder as they head your way? It will not be pleasant as Americans will unseat the pro-illegal alien politicians, who crushed any chance of constructive restrictions. California–the well and truly tested Sanctuary state must now pick the pockets of taxpayers again, because illegal workers and families have flooded in and drained part of the 46 billion deficits the state is facing.

    If the federal Pres. Obama’s government is reluctant to implement the E-Verify program to identify the immigration status of people in the job market, then State politicians should enforce the law as mandatory. With 10% of US Citizens and permanent residents out of a job, it would be in the best interest of every State lawmakers to enact this law. This would be for everybody in the workplace, newly hired and longtime labor. All should be recognized with cross-referenced documentation, identified on the I-9 form submitted to homeland security. New innovation should be added, that including picture ID on nationwide drivers licenses. This would detect many bogus job seekers to their new employers. ATTRITION THROUGH ENFORCEMENT!

    This also goes for billions of welfare dollars spent in the illegal alien high population state of Nevada. But now with a few more less restricting States, thousands will constantly leave the original policing State of Arizona and head outwards? As with Governor of New Mexico who has been less happy with the circumstances of handing out drivers licenses under the previous Governors watch of Gov. Bill Richardson and therefore many will also pack up and move on from there. Currently illegal migrants and immigrants have unlimited access to welfare entitlements, schooling and free health care and Include the obvious costs of jail and imprisonment. Birthright citizenship will be having its day in court. Even if it is not amended, the parents–HAVE NO RIGHTS TO STAY–and should be deported. The bill currently has 68 cosponsors and will amend current U.S. code to entail at least one parent to be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident for a new born to obtain automatic citizenship.

    You as a heavily laden taxpayer should incessantly harass your representative and demand their sponsorship for an amendment. Another controversial bill that will also save federal and State taxpayers is ending “Chain Migration.” There is a mounting list of 21 co-sponsors for Rep. Phil Gingrey’s Nuclear Family Priority Act (H.R.692) that would end chain migration. H.R.692 would purge all family-preference visa classes, except for spouses and minor children, and creating a renewable visa class for parents. Of course the radical Liberal other side under the pretense of polling people by the University of Texas and Texas Tribune has addressed the subject of 14th Amendment. Not only did these two parties misinform the public being asked, but also misrepresented the act of the birthright citizenship law. Anybody can engineer the questions asked to get a favorable answer in any poll.

    Something that the Leftists progressives have intentionally forgot in their radical diatribe, that although The Fourteenth Amendment extends citizenship to all persons born in the U.S. and “subject to the jurisdiction thereof”; but it also grants Congress the power to enforce and define the necessities of the amendment. The US Constitution also grants us free speech. So if you are against supporting financially anymore the illegal immigration invasion? First you can join NumbersUSA and not only fax for free the Congress, but join millions of Americans who want to halt this continuous travesty by Liberal politicians. You can also become a member of the local TEA Party with a huge influence gaining momentum in Washington, to stop the Tax and Spend Liberal-Democrats.

    Add your voice to the uncountable numbers of people who are fed up with illegal’s stealing their jobs, lowering wages. Here is also the Washington Switchboard number 202-224-312 to bombard your unconcerned Senate and House. Personally, I’m thoroughly frustrated and furious that we must educate the children of illegal immigrant, and pay for their health care; when we cannot even pay for our own families needs?

    National News: America has the highest deficit in US history, and the majority of that debt is owned by Communist China.

    SAVE OUR JOBS, buy American, if you can find it?

  • Andrew Kelly

    Secure Communities imposes no new or additional requirements
    on state and local law enforcement, and the federal government, not
    the state or local law enforcement agency, determines what immigration
    enforcement action, if any, is appropriate. -Dr. Paul Perito