Immigration Crackdown: Looking closely at secure communities

A critique of the Secure Communities program, from Rhode Island

David A. Borts: Looking closely at secure communities | Contributors | projo.com | The Providence Journal: "Discussing Secure Communities in terms of security distracts the public from the reality of the program. It is a Trojan horse, appearing to the public as a security measure, but containing within it a mandate that local police become the front line of immigration enforcement....

Presence in the United States without authorization is not defined as a crime under state or federal law. Therefore, punishing that presence with the severity of a criminal offense violates our sense of justice. Immigrants will be reluctant to report minor crimes as they know that any arrest — regardless of offense or conviction — may result in deportation. Secure Communities prioritizes hard-line immigration enforcement over justice and community engagement and directly makes our communities less secure."