Bill Ritter Expected To Sign ICE Fingerprinting Program Into Law

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter is expected to sign into law a program that seeks to crack down on illegal immigration using fingerprints to check a person's immigration status during jail bookings.

The program, known as Secure Communities, would cross-reference inmates' fingerprints with federal records to identify those who have been deported in the past. Over 32 states already participate in the program.

Immigrant rights advocates like the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition have called the Secure Communities program "inherently flawed," and some municipalities have opted out based on civil rights concerns.

Ritter's announcement, which is expected to come Tuesday morning, comes after months of negotiations with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency about specific exemptions for Colorado.

Ritter has insisted that ICE provide the state data on the program's effectiveness.

Additionally, the Denver Post reported on Tuesday that Ritter is also seeking to allow local communities with a clear option to opt out, in addition to an assurance that the program only be used for serious crimes. The governor has also sought an exemption for domestic violence cases to ensure that police get cooperation from immigrants.

Ritter is expected to announce details of the agreement on Tuesday

Comments

[ugly american]

03:03 AM on 01/06/2011

Secure Communities is a good program.
The people whose rights they are concerned about came here without permission and committed a crime thereafter. They don't just get picked up off the street for "looking foreign".
Civil rights apply to all people. It is not a violation of anyones rights to repatriate someone after they serve a jail term. Is it a violation of american rights when they are transferred to another jail to serve time if they committed a second crime somewhere else? No.
In this case the additional crime is crossing the border illegally. They are someone else's problem so a bus ride home is in order.
Good for Colorado. It should be nationwide.

[azlegalcitizen]

01:43 AM on 01/06/2011

I know one thing for sure, tonight hp closed down the comments on the article about the drunken illegal Hernadez that killed a family of three Coloradoan­s. I read the posts, 99% were anti-illeg­al, pro- american and hp cannot stand those thoughts from its readers and commentors­. SHAME ON HP, when real citizens of the usa show honest outrage at illegals from another country and get cut off by this site it is a sad shamefull day in America.

[azlegalcitizen]

10:00 PM on 01/05/2011

Why did hp remobe the comment section about the illegals hernadez that killed 3 people in Colo. The site had abut 12 comments, of course nearly all against the illegal and for stronger gov actions against illegals in this country. I am saddened and very surprized you removed this important story, shame on hp.

[azlegalcitizen]

12:19 AM on 01/05/2011

But I C E releases far more than they deport and they cooked the books last year to make it appear they were deporting far more illegals than the prior administrations. As usual big sis , john morten and obama are lying.

[HowdyDoody]

01:17 AM on 01/05/2011

I feel sorry for you that you feel it's necessary to announce your "legality" as a citizen. Sad.

[azlegalcitizen]

10:05 PM on 01/05/2011

It just came off the to of my head when I was picking a name. for hp. NO big deal at the time. YES IT IS SAD that in this country I have received all he*l for being proud of my American and AZ citizenship. I get so saddened at the lack of pride of being an American citizen by the people here at hp.

[Philimanjaro]

12:28 AM on 01/06/2011

Whats sad about being proud of your citizenship? Check out an citizenship test session sometime; you'll see an awful lot of people in tears from the overwhelming joy they feel to be able to call themselves an American citizen.

Some are just too spoiled to appreciate it.

[magyart]

11:06 PM on 01/04/2011

I applaud the use of Secure Communities, for it will make the public safer and more secure.

The E-Verify law must be revisited and made mandatory for every business in this nation, not optional or voluntary. We MUST battle the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on this. The U.S. Congress will be gridlocked for the nxt 2 yrs. Aggressive immigration enforcement must be advanced at the state and local level.

Visit the NumbersUSA and ALIPAC websites and help fight illegal immigration.

In 2012, vote against every politician that supports illegal aliens and their amnesty.

[Maya Ying]

10:57 PM on 01/04/2011

Mexico is NOT a friend of the United States . Since 1848 Mexicans have resented the United States . During World War I Mexico allowed German Spies to operate freely in Mexico to spy on the US . During World War II Mexico allowed the Axis powers to spy on the US from Mexico . During the Cold War Mexico allowed spies hostile to the US to operate freely. The attack on the Twin Towers in 2001 was cheered and applauded all across Mexico . Today Mexican school children are taught that the US stole California , Arizona , New Mexico and Texas . If you don't believe it, check out some Mexican textbooks written for their school children.

[HowdyDoody]

01:18 AM on 01/05/2011

I believe it because it's true.

[jay1975]

02:47 PM on 01/05/2011

Not stolen, sold in treaty at the end of the war. That is how the world works, get over it.

[spytheweb]

10:25 PM on 01/04/2011

"civil rights concerns" When is it a civil right to be in the country illegally?

[GlackBOP]

07:42 PM on 01/04/2011

Of course the illegals find the program "inherently flawed". THEY'RE CRIMINALS!

[frixx]

08:52 PM on 01/04/2011

The authorities always seem to be able to tell us what make the car was, but never the legal status of the driver........check this out:

Culver City man charged with murder in New Year's Eve crash that killed L.A. couple January 4, 2011 |  3:32 pm
Prosecutors charged a 27-year-old Culver City man with two counts of murder Tuesday in connection with an alcohol-related crash that killed a Los Angeles couple heading home from a New Year's Eve party.
Demetria Dorsey, 50, and husband Kelvin Dorsey, 54, were killed when Jorge Alberto Molina sped through a red light in South Los Angeles while being chased by police and slammed into their car, authorities said.
In addition to the murder charge, Molina was charged with leaving the scene of an accident, said Jane Robison, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.
Prosecutors said they will ask that Molina's bail be set at $2 million, Robison said. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 30 years to life in state prison.
Molina allegedly led police on a brief chase in a white Geo Prism before running a red light near Florence Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard about 11:30 p.m. Dec. 31. His vehicle slammed into a blue Infiniti driven by the couple. The impact flipped the Infiniti onto its roof.
Molina ran from the scene but collapsed nearby, police said.


from:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/01/prosecutors-charge-culver-city-man-in-new-years-eve-crash-that-killed-los-angeles-couple.html

[theerrantsoul]

12:56 PM on 01/05/2011

It's not that undocumented immigrants find the Secure Communities system to be flawed, but rather than it is not an accurate system and is often incorrect.  There's a severe lack of data, and almost no oversight, nor is there a complaint mechanism for those who have been incorrectly detained on the basis of the program.  The same issues exist with E-Verify.
 
Mind you, I would totally support a well-functioning version of these systems.  I just think they need a lot more work before they're ready for implementation.  I don't know about you, but I don't relish the thought of incorrectly spending a week in a local jail just because immigrant-haters simply HAVE to roll out some new way to persecute undocumented immigrants regardless of its imperfections.

[azlegalcitizen]

01:52 AM on 01/06/2011

In every program there may be very small percentage of errors, in this modern age it can often be rectified. I will bet you don't mind at all if the illegals steal someone elses id, soc sec, you just want perfection on e-verify and the secure comm program. I will take the greater number of 'hits' on e-verify and secure comm systems that far offset the illegals getting by with their constant criminality in our land. JAIL,THEN DEPORT EVERYONE OF THE ILLEGALS NOW.

[PremiumBlend]

05:57 PM on 01/04/2011

Plain and simple... if you are arrested or cited by a police officer and your identity cannot be verified you are immediately red flagged, taken downtown, a full battery of background information is conducted (including fingerprinting), Depending on his offense he is either detained or receives at minimum a fine (this will cover the background check and legal crap) and sent on his/her (illegal) merry way. At least at that point they are documented and have a benchmark from there on in. Not to mention if they apply for citizenship under one name but use an alias for everything else you can use that persons fingerprints to eliminate alias'. Just a start and an idea to expand on... but it's better than what we have now.

[azlegalcitizen]

11:57 PM on 01/04/2011

Excepting of course the sanctuary cities, where it catch and releasee or don't bother to catch the illegals as it isn't P C.

[PremiumBlend]

11:15 AM on 01/05/2011

Forget P.C.!!! Do you realize A LOT of the United States' problems stem from illegal immigrants? I'm not saying the system was perfect in the first place, but when you take something that is already STRESSED to the max and add even more stress of trying to accommodate illegal immigrants as well it's bound to snap. (IE: Education, Housing, Health Care, etc) It's very difficult to welcome with open arms an *ESTIMATED* 3.95 million illegal immigrants and try to provide not only for them, but American's as well. Again, screw P.C.!!!

[surlyatbest]

05:54 PM on 01/04/2011

What the h3!! has Ritter been doing for four years. Illegally entering this country IS a serious crime.

[Joel Wischkaemper]

05:14 PM on 01/04/2011

Thank you Mr. Ritter. That part of the fraud on the American People is on the run. But we must deal with Birthright Citizenship... and stop it.

[HowdyDoody]

01:19 AM on 01/05/2011

Right! Go back to your country of origin.

[magyart]

04:55 PM on 01/04/2011

This is good news for citizens and legal immigrants for Secure Communities will increase public safety and security.

Visit the NumbersUSA and the ALIPAC websites and help fight illegal immigration.

In 2012, oppose every politician that supports illegal immigration.

[sd12]

03:11 PM on 01/04/2011

"advocates like the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition have called the Secure Communities program "inherently flawed"

Yeah. Because it's effective it must be flawed.

[sd12]

03:06 PM on 01/04/2011

"Ritter is also seeking to allow local communities with a clear option to opt out"

I hope he doesn't win that concession. Eliminating so-called sanctuary cities is one of the program's chief benefits.

[Just-a-Guy]

03:04 PM on 01/04/2011

Some counties in California tried to 'opt-out' of Secure Communities. Their rationale being that their police wouldn't get the same amount of cooperation from the locals.

Napolitano said 'No Dice'. There is no 'opt-out'...even for places like San Francisco.

[Viper1st]

03:50 PM on 01/04/2011

When I read your comment, my first response was, no way California was a signatory of Secure Communities ~ secondly, that San Francisco hadn't opt-out

Amazingly you are correct on both issues ~ but, San Francisco and Santa Clara counties have both passed resolutions to opt out of the program, and Berkeley just passed its own resolution to do the same.

Evidently, in California the State A.G. has the power to grant opting-out and then Jerry Brown will not allow opt-outs ~ no word yet as to new CA's A.G. will do the same

http://www.sfexaminer.com/blogs/under-dome/2010/12/civil-rights-groups-petition-harris-secure-communities#ixzz1A

[Cat9]

03:51 PM on 01/04/2011

Consequently, CA is headed towards bankruptcy

[Viper1st]

04:08 PM on 01/04/2011

Yes ~ here's published proof that Janet Napolitano will not allow opting-out

http://washingtonindependent.com/99855/napolitano-confirms-there-is-no-opt-out-option-for-secure-communities

[Joel Wischkaemper]

05:16 PM on 01/04/2011

We pay something like 346 billion in welfare to the illegal aliens. If we allow them to remain, we will essentially be paying $346 Billion for the best paid informers in the world.

Amazing.

[PatLow]

06:40 PM on 01/04/2011

They dont pay sales tax or even payroll taxes?