This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Public Safety trumps so called 'Publicity Stunt'

Let's be clear: The Secure Communities Act focuses on illegal immigrants with prior arrests or convictions, who continue to threaten public safety. Immigration reform is a separate issue.

Let's be clear: The Secure Communities Act focuses on illegal immigrants with prior arrests or convictions, who continue to threaten public safety. Thank you, Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson for reminding Gov. Patrick yet again that [the Sheriffs] "are not looking to grab headlines, we're looking to grab criminals."

Massachusetts residents have the real perspective on the value of these enforcement actions, as evidenced by the recent events in , Milford or Marshfield. How many prior arrests, how many casualties, like the terribly sad fatality in Milford last month, or brazen crimes we read about almost weekly now will it take to force change?

Secure Communities is a common sense measure designed to remove and deport criminals, instead of housing them at taxpayer expense in our MA correctional facilities. Moving up the implementation date of this program instead of waiting for the federally mandated 2013 date is much more than a "publicity stunt" Governor Patrick, it is common sense.

Find out what's happening in Marlboroughwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

And yet, Secure Communities still faces outspoken opponents. For instance, my current State Sen. Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton) does not support the Obama Administration proposal.  Why? Does he have special insight or know something the MA Sheriffs or an overwhelming majority of Law Enforcement not know?  http://bit.ly/pOnqgc

Here is what Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has to say about Secure Communities, and, particularly, its involvement in it:

Find out what's happening in Marlboroughwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“The highest priority of any law enforcement agency is to protect the communities it serves. When it comes to enforcing our nation's immigration laws, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) focuses its limited resources on those who have been arrested for breaking criminal laws. Secure Communities is a simple and common sense way to carry out ICE's priorities. It uses an already-existing federal information-sharing partnership between ICE and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that helps to identify criminal aliens without imposing new or additional requirements on state and local law enforcement.....Under Secure Communities, the FBI automatically sends the fingerprints to ICE to check against its immigration databases. If these checks reveal that an individual is unlawfully present in the United States or otherwise removable due to a criminal conviction, ICE takes enforcement action – prioritizing the removal of individuals who present the most significant threats to public safety as determined by the severity of their crime, their criminal history, and other factors – as well as those who have repeatedly violated immigration laws."  SOURCE: http://www.ice.gov/secure_communities/

Patrick and Eldridge falsely assert that Massachusetts law enforcement is already conducting this information sharing process with the federal agencies. Really? The overwhelming evidence says otherwise.  For starters, cross off the State Police from ICE's "information sharing partnership" for most of Patrick's tenure as governor.  Deval has effectively overturned Gov. Romney's Executive Order (requiring State Police participation) twice now.  After his comments lately, I for one am absolutely bewildered as to where the Governor actually stands on this issue.  Reminds me of John Kerry's now famous assertion "I actually did vote for the $87 Billion, before I voted against it."

Finally, just ask the family of the Milford man who lost his life last month if Massachusetts is truly participating locally, or talk to the overburdened and now outspoken Sheriffs who are being forced to jail these individuals after multiple arrests and public outcry. 

Maybe its a little publicity Governor that will finally lead to the public safety we all deserve?

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?