The program addresses the way criminal aliens are identified and removed from the U.s.
"This strategy leverages an existing information sharing capability between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to quickly and accurately identify aliens who are arrested for a crime and booked into local law enforcement custody," according to ice.gov. "With this capability, the fingerprints of everyone arrested and booked are not only checked against FBI criminal history records, but they are also checked against DHS immigration records."
The Hall County Sheriff's Office is among the law enforcement agencies in the state already participating in the program.
In addition to 10th District Congressman Paul Broun and 9th District Representative Tom Graves, congressmen Phil Gingrey, Jack Kingston, Tom Price, Austin Scott, and Lynn Westmoreland met Wednsday with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Assistant Secretary John Morton to demand swifter implementation of the Secure Communities Initiative in Georgia:
Broun noted that according to the Pew Hispanic Center, Georgia ranks seventh nationwide for the largest population of illegal immigrants.
"Not only does this wreak havoc economically on our social systems, but illegal immigration exposes our citizens to increased criminal activity," he said. "Therefore, it is critical that Immigration and Customs Enforcement expedite the full implementation of its Secure Communities initiative in Georgia, and it s critical that they do so now...I remain insistent that ICE take immediate action to ensure the safety and sovereignty of our nation. "
Graves said "In the strongest terms possible, I urge ICE to use its resources to uproot the major hubs of illegal immigration, not just trim the branches. With the seventh largest illegal population in the United States, Georgia's law enforcement officials are on the front lines, and should never have to wait for backup while ICE sends reinforcements to the rear."
http://accesswdun.com/article/2011/2/235128