S-Comm

Campaign aims to protect immigrant families from mass deportation and move immigration debate forward.

ACLU of Massachusetts Legal Director Matthew R. Segal wrote this guest blog, originally posted on Boston.com.

Starting on May 15, the federal government will effectively force Massachusetts--that’s right, force--to participate in “Secure Communities,” an immigration dragnet that risks pushing Massachusetts toward an Arizona-style “show me your papers” regime.

This is bad news for all Massachusetts residents. S-Comm promotes racial profiling, jeopardizes public safety, and inhibits economic growth. Although the federal government seems intent on implementing this flawed program anyway, Massachusetts officials should try to limit the havoc that it wreaks.

ACLU of Massachusetts Staff Attorney Laura Rótolo contributed the following, originally posted at Boston.com

It’s Friday afternoon. Time for another hollow announcement by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) purporting to fix its controversial “Secure Communities” program. These announcements—exquisitely timed to avoid media attention—have become such a pattern that advocates have come to expect “Friday surprises.”

This time, ICE announced its response to the criticisms of a task force comprising a diverse group of stakeholders hand-picked by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The task force criticized Secure Communities (S-Comm) for its inconsistent messaging, lack of transparency, and interference with community policing.

Calls renewed for immediate termination of controversial deportation program.

What happened to Matthew Denice--the 23-year-old from Milford killed by a reportedly drunk driver--is so horrific that it is important to get the response right. Yet proponents of the S-Comm or "Secure Communities" federal immigration dragnet are getting it wrong.

Read the full post on Boston.com | S-comm page