New York Governor Andrew Cuomo decided this week to protect illegal aliens in his close-to-bankrupt state by not participating in a federal program to find criminal aliens in the United States. According to Border Patrol agents in Arizona, Cuomo has stopped New York’s participation in a fingerprint program designed to identify illegal aliens. He cited its "impact on…immigrant communities." The members of the National Border Patrol Council Local 2544 called this move by Cuomo "stupid," on their web site. "The Border agents stress that the only fingerprints being sent to the Homeland Security Department are those of people arrested and booked for other crimes in this country. If they aren’t illegal aliens, they have nothing to worry about," said former police commander Lt. Edward Bottner. But "critics" of the fingerprint program are concerned that it "results in the detention and deportation of undocumented immigrants before they are even charged with a serious crime – much less convicted." Once again, it is absolutely stunning that there are so many who want illegal aliens to stay here until they rape, rob, murder or commit some other "serious" crime. "How many more innocent people must be victimized for the citizens of this country to wake up and demand that the CRIME of illegal immigration be taken seriously?" asks Local 2544’s membership.
"To all those who incessantly talk about illegal immigration not being a "crime", look up 8 USC 1325. Yes, it’s a CRIMINAL statute," state Local 2544 officials. A GAO report to the U.S. Congress revealed that a large percentage of illegal aliens re-entered the U.S. after being deported. Illegal re-entry is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison, a sentence reserved for what are considered serious crimes. "While President Obama cracks jokes in El Paso, talking childishly about ‘moats’ and ‘alligators,’ there are good people dying as they try to do the job he finds so amusing. Please forgive us if we don’t see the humor in his jokes as he panders to the anti-Border Patrol open borders crowd," officials from the Border Patrol Council said. In addition to their attack on Cuomo and Obama, Local 2544 officials lament the fact that SEIU (Service Employees International Union) is again engaged in the protection of illegal aliens to ensure they continue to receive union dues what are from illegal workers. "All their ‘concern’ about ‘justice’ and ‘rights’ is laughable. It’s all about the dues money illegal aliens pump into their coffers" said Border Patrol Council officials.
States in the program automatically send the fingerprints of everyone booked to Homeland Security. Federal officials say it helps locate and deport dangerous criminals.
But critics charged the program results in the detention and deportation of undocumented immigrants before they are even charged with a serious crime — much less convicted.
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn was the first governor to pull out of the Secure Communities program’s fingerprint requirement.
New York officials were initially told individual counties could opt out of the controversial program — but statewide participation is actually mandatory. Twenty-four counties were participating before the suspension, although New York City’s five boroughs were slated to start at a later date.
The governor’s decision was quickly hailed by opponents of Secure Communities.
"Governor Cuomo is right to suspend implementation of the deeply flawed Secure Communities program which does nothing to make anyone any safer," said Hector Figueroa, Secretary Treasurer of Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union