GOP files plan to force state into Secure Communities

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GOP files plan to force state into Secure Communities
Legislative Republicans today announced plans to file legislation forcing the Patrick administration to join Secure Communities, a federal program aimed at cracking down on criminal illegal immigrant that has sparked allegations by immigrant advocates and officials in some states that the program leads to profiling and nets petty criminals, rather than the serious offenders that supporters say are the targets.
“Now more than ever, it is imperative that the Patrick Administration join the Secure Communities program,” Rep. Elizabeth Poirier (R-North Attleboro) said in a statement. “It is the responsibility of us as legislators to protect the safety and well-being of the residents of the Commonwealth. The time is now that legislators and citizens rise up and demand that the safety of the legal residents of Massachusetts is paramount.”
Secure Communities has been billed as a program in which the FBI, which routinely collects fingerprint information from local police departments, shares that information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. After repeated flare-ups and conflicts with states and immigration groups, the federal government announced earlier this month that it would terminate all agreements with states and implement the program unilaterally, negating the call by Republicans for the state to join the program.
"Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the victim of this terrible crime. The focus now is on prosecuting the person responsible and ensuring that justice is served. We will provide whatever assistance is required to get that done," said Alex Goldstein, a spokesman for Gov. Deval Patrick. "The Governor’s policy is that serious criminals who are here illegally should be deported. Massachusetts has and will continue to send fingerprints to the Federal government and the Massachusetts Department of Correction will continue to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to facilitate removal of undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of felonies in the Commonwealth."
The legislation, which will be accompanied by a resolution also urging the administration to join the program, will be filed by Reps. Poirier, Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica), Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton), as well as House Minority Leader Bradley Jones and Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, according to the GOP announcement.
The Republicans say the proposal is a response to reports of the arrest and arraignment of an illegal immigrant for vehicular homicide while under the influence of alcohol.
“It’s tragic to see the loss of a life which could have been prevented had the Patrick Administration entered into the Secure Communities program years ago,” Lombardo said. “How many more people have to die before this administration will take action to secure our state?”
Republicans are seeking additional cosponsors for the proposals among their colleagues.
Gov. Deval Patrick has wavered over plans to join Secure Communities, suggesting during last year’s reelection campaign that he was still reviewing the program and then dispatching senior officials to suggest that the federal government was mandating participation.
When other states, like New York and Illinois, suggested they would opt out of the program, Patrick followed suit and said he intended not to join, despite the continuing insistence by federal authorities that states would be forced to join by 2013. Earlier this month, the Obama administration suggest that immigration authorities would reinforce efforts to target only the most serious criminals among the illegal immigrant population.
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/pol...osition=recent