Rep. Stan Lee pre-files bill dealing with Federal program that targets illegal immigrants that have broken laws for the 2012 Kentucky Legislative Session

Rep. Stan Lee pre-files bill dealing with Federal program that targets illegal immigrants that have broken laws for the 2012 Kentucky Legislative Session

Legislation seeks to enroll all law enforcement agencies in Secure Communities program

FRANKFORT, Ky. (November 17, 2011) – Rep. Stan Lee, R-Lexington (45th District) announced today he is pre-filing legislation for the 2012 Legislative session that if passed would require all state, county and local law enforcement agencies to participate in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Secure Communities Program, and would prohibit state and local government and agencies from prohibiting or restrict any person from participating in the Federal program.

“Our law enforcement agencies, from the Kentucky State Police to sheriff’s offices, airport security, and community police departments, to our jails and conservation officers with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, are on the front lines in protecting our Commonwealth from the threat of criminals who are also in this country illegally,” said Rep. Lee in filing the bill. “It is imperative that our police agencies are not prohibited from assisting Federal agents in identifying and arresting those illegal immigrants who pose a threat to our way of life.”

According to information from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) website, the Secure Communities program 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.

For decades, local jurisdictions have shared the fingerprints of individuals who are booked into jails with the FBI to see if they have a criminal record. 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.

Secure Communities imposes no new or additional requirements on state and local law enforcement, and the federal government, not the state or local law enforcement agency, determines what immigration enforcement action, if any, is appropriate.

Kentucky has already served as a successful test model for the Secure Communities program. In late 2010 the city of Lexington became the first in the nation to implement the program, which has allowed ICE to utilize fingerprints and other biometric information to identify and deport those illegal aliens who have a history of violent crimes. As of May 2011 the program helped identify and deport 41 illegal aliens, with one quarter of those identified also having a criminal record of committing crimes like theft and arson.

“Secure Communities has helped in ridding our city of dangerous criminals in our country illegally, and it is my belief that other communities across Kentucky could be made safer by joining this Federal program,” added Rep. Lee. “And in order for the Secure Communities program to reach the pinnacle of success, it is imperative that we allow our police agencies to do their job as part of the program.”

The bill is prefiled as BR 37 for the 2012 Regular Session.