NY gov severs state ties to fed immigrant program
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has suspended the state’s participation in a program which calls on local police departments to share the fingerprints of people they arrest with federal immigration officials.
The program, known as Secure Communities, is designed to target serious criminals for deportation. Its rollout was met with complaints from immigration and civil liberties groups. They said it violated due process because it could affect people who have been arrested but not convicted of crimes.
Cuomo said there was mounting evidence the program wasn’t working, and that it was making some immigrants-rights groups reluctant to cooperate with law enforcement officials.