Boston Mayor, Thomas Menino, has stated that he will not participate in Secure Communities unless the Feds assure that only people convicted of serious crimes are deported. They join numerous other communities across the country that opposes Secure Communities.
The Secure Communities act requires police officers to send fingerprints of individuals, who are arrested to a FBI database in order to determine their citizenship status. The Feds insist that participation is mandatory. For some, this cross-referencing could lead to deportation, which an immigration attorney may be able to prevent.
The Mayor delivered a letter to the Department of Homeland Security’s Secure Communities task force stating that the measure to curb illegal immigration has caused a breakdown in communications between authorities and Boston’s immigrant population. He has asserted that Boston will not participate in the program unless they are assured that only people with violent criminal backgrounds are deported.
Menino also insists that the Department of Homeland Security should be more transparent about how they are going to share fingerprints with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. And believes there should be a “partition” built into the system that allows for a distinction between minor offenses and more serious crimes.
There are millions of illegal immigrants in the US, and typically are non-violent individuals searching for better opportunities. An immigration lawyer can get the necessary visas for most of these immigrants and eventually apply for naturalization. Living in fear of deportation doesn’t have to be a reality; by hiring an immigration attorney many immigrants can put that fear behind them.
