Secure Communities program | Immigration Enforcement

WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced increased deportation numbers for FY 2010. Napolitano, flanked by the head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary John Morton, and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, attributed this rise to Secure Communities, the Obama administration's flagship immigration enforcement program. Napolitano also made clear that DHS is mandating participation from all localities. Below is a statement from Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center:

"During today's press conference on Secure Communities, the Department of Homeland Security made clear that they had never viewed Secure Communities as voluntary, despite previously describing it as such. This should raise serious concerns for law enforcement officers everywhere who are rightfully concerned about undermining public safety by involving themselves in a program that will further marginalize immigrants, endangering us all.

"This flip-flop about the voluntary nature of this program raises even deeper concerns about the opacity of immigration enforcement under the Obama administration, which had touted itself as the most transparent administration ever. Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly clear that DHS has not risen to President Obama's rhetoric.

"This nation needs more than spin and flip-flopping to score cheap political points during an election season. Secretary Napolitano claims immigrants need to get right with the law. DHS should do the same."

More information about the Secure Communities (S-Comm) program is available at http://www.nilc.org/immlawpolicy/LocalLaw/index.htm.

Letters from Asst. Atty. Gen. Ronald Weich and DHS Sec. Janet Napolitano (dated September 8 and 7, respectively) describing a now apparently fictitious process for opting out of the Secure Communities Program are available at http://www.nilc.org/immlawpolicy/LocalLaw/s-comm-opt-out-ltrs-USDOJ-DHS-2010-09-08.pdf.

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