Mayor Menino to withdraw Boston police from the federal Secure Communities program

In an abrupt turnaround, Mayor Thomas M. Menino has said he will withdraw Boston police from the federal Secure Communities program unless US federal immigration officials limit their deportation efforts to only those immigrants who have committed serious crimes.  Boston.com

Menino stated that the program, which requires that fingerprints from arrests be cross-referenced with federal immigration databases, has caused a breakdown of relations between residents and law enforcement officials in Boston’s immigrant communities. The cross-referencing means that people picked up for relatively minor crimes can face deportation, along with the more serious criminals the program was meant to target.

It is a surprising turnabout considering that Boston piloted Secure Communities in 2006, and since the program’s official launch in 2008, it has expanded to cities and towns in more than 40 states.  Just over one month ago, Menino and Davis defended the controversial initiative after Governor Deval Patrick refused to expand the program to State Police.  “Boston took part in Secure Communities as a pilot project, with the understanding that only the most serious criminals would be affected and the belief that our feedback would lead to improvements in the program,’’ Menino wrote in the letter. “

It the net effect is that fewer residents are cooperating with law enforcement, then Secure Communities is not making places like Boston more secure. 

There has been no significant movement toward federal immigration reform since a bipartisan effort died in 2007, blocked by conservative opposition.  See NY Times for an excellent summary of Reform issues over the past two Administrations.   Because of this, we are witnessing the States taking an active role in immigration related issues. 

A senior official in the Department of Homeland Security told the Globe last month that the program will be rolled out nationwide by 2013, regardless of whether state or local leaders approve.  We will likely see many more states and local leaders challenging the Secure Communities program.