New Database Searches Inmates' Immigration Status

The Dallas County Jail began running the fingerprints of all inmates through a federal database in order to identify immigrants who can be deported.

The effort to find and deport incarcerated immigrants is part of the Secure Communities program, which is run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

According to Pablo Campos, ICE assistant field officer in Dallas, the database automatically checks the inmates' criminal record and immigration history. The database cross references the information with 90 million names, including those of immigrants with a criminal history and arrest record, and those who have previously been deported. The database also contains the names of immigrants who have had their visa applications rejected.

This program is the federal government's latest effort to increase the number of deportations. The program searches both legal and illegal immigrants who are eligible for deportation because they were convicted of a crime.

ICE has put the highest priority on deporting immigrants who committed serious crimes, with lower priority on those who have committed minor crimes. However, according to Campos all illegal immigrations found in the jail will be deported.

As of right now only a few prisons in Texas, North Carolina, and Massachusetts have joined the Secure Communities program. ICE hopes that the program will be available in every state by spring 2009.

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