New York residents are being asked to sign a petition against a program approved by former Gov. David Paterson last year that is led by Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) officials.
That program is known as "Secure Communities" and allows for fingerprint-sharing between local police agencies and ICE, according to information from immigrant advocates.
Through this collaboration, ICE agents automatically run a detainee’s fingerprints through immigration databases and target the person for deportation before any charges have been filed and even if the charges are later dismissed, according to Ami Kadar, with the Centro Independiente de Trabajadores Agricoles. The program also encourages racial profiling, she said.
Anyone interested in signing a petition asking Gov. Andrew Cuomo to rescind Paterson’s approval of the program may do so here.
