Task Force Criticizes ICE Deportation Policies

A task force advising Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") criticized the ICE program, Secure Communities, which requires local law enforcement, including the police department to assist ICE in deporting immigrants who lack legal status in the United States. The Task Force stated that the policy resulted in the detention and deportation of immigrants arrested for minor traffic violations and did not apply, as intended, mostly to immigrants with serious criminal convictions. Under Secure Communities, anyone arrested by local or state police are checked with an FBI fingerprint database and if they are listed in the ICE database, ICE may initiate deportation proceedings. The Task Force advised that ICE should make fuller use of prosecutorial discretion and concentrate on those persons with serious criminal felonies.