While more than 250 law enforcement agencies across the U.S. are pulling back from a screening program for immigrants as criticism mounts that it may be unconstitutional, the program continues to be used in all Texas counties.
The Houston Chronicle reports that under the program, jailers submit the fingerprints of everyone booked into jail to the Homeland Security Department to run through an immigration database. Upon a match, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials can file "detainer requests" with local law enforcement agencies.
The program has been ICE's signature immigration enforcement initiative, hailed as the "single best tool" to target dangerous criminals. Critics say it unfairly targets Latinos and deports illegal immigrants caught for minor crimes rather than focusing ICE's limited resources on violent offenders.
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Information from: Houston Chronicle, http://www.houstonchronicle.com
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