DHS Extends 'Secure Communities' to All Southwest Border Counties
DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano announced on Tuesday morning that the Department has deployed its "Secure Communities" program to all 25 counties located on the Southwest border with Mexico. The "Secure Communities" program allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to root out criminal illegal aliens incarcerated in local jails.
"Over the past year and a half, this administration has pursued a new border security strategy through unprecedented investments in personnel, technology and infrastructure and historic partnerships with Mexico and state and local law enforcement," said Secretary Napolitano. "Secure Communities gives ICE the ability to work with our state and local law enforcement partners to identify criminal aliens who are already in their custody, expediting their removal and keeping our communities safer."
Secure Communities enables digital fingerprints collected during the booking process to be checked against FBI criminal history records and DHS immigration records. By identifying any immigration record matches in jails and prisons, ICE can begin removal proceedings.