The Federal Government of the United States through the U.

S Immigration and

Customs Enforcement (ICE) ensure the security and safety of secure communities (U.S

Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 2022). I think immigrant welfare is the most

sensitive issue which stands out in every presidential election cycle. I considered it the

most influential factor of public safety and national security in our enforcement agencies.

To a large extent I belief that Immigration issues are triggered by institutional racism. I

think the issue of undocumented immigrants does not have to be addressed through the

radical approach that Trump used in his administration. The softer enforcement policies

like those used in Obama’s administration are better as they take into consideration of the

American’s diversity profile.

The Federal Government plays a significant role in laying down the structure in

which undocumented immigrants maintain national security. Secure Communities, is a

federal program that enables ICE to enforce priorities for detained undocumented

immigrants. Through this program, the Department of Homeland Security and Federal

Bureau of Investigation identifies the arrested aliens and share information with the ICE

(U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 2022) If the checks reveal that the person

in custody has a criminal history or has violated immigration laws, he/she is deported. It is

the sole responsibility of the federal government to determine the immigration

enforcement action (U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 2022). The rebellion

against Secure Community is due to the hitches within the internal enforcement

mechanism. The local and state enforcement agencies are frustrated by the ICE in their

role to keep people in deportation custody (Forey, 2014).

I think the screening process which involves law enforcement agencies at local

levels comparing criminal databases and immigration databases makes it easy to advance

racial profiling. The program was aimed to capture only undocumented immigrants who
have either been drug traffickers or violent criminals but I think this policy would make it

easy for racist law enforcers to deport even undocumented immigrants without a criminal

record. I think racism has made it difficult for America to objectively deal with the

problem of undocumented immigrants. The assumption in which the Secure Communities

was implemented is subjective and biased. The assumption that undocumented immigrants

are more likely to be criminals is wrong. Trump made what his supporters could consider

a bold step of deporting the largest number of undocumented immigrants. However, I do

not think that this move did not bring down the crime rate in the United States.

I think criminalizing undocumented immigrants is linked to the dynamics in the

political arena which threatens the benefits of American diversity. For instance, Secure

Communities increased the hostility of other authorized immigrants. The federal

government forgets that the authorized immigrants are also bona fide community

members. The policy of Secure Communities makes America a fearful country.

Furthermore, it makes it difficult for undocumented immigrants freely come out for

legalization. When it comes to racial profiling, the government is likely to lose public trust

which is likely to make it difficult for the police to do their work. Thus, it makes the

community less safe and secure.

Another reason for disagreeing with the Secure Communities program is the lack

of focus on the real threat to national security. I think local policing and immigration

should be kept separate. This is because every aspect of policing can be targeted at the

foreigner. For instance, local police can increase arrests for foreign-looking individuals in

traffic stops. As a result, ICE would take many into custody even if the stops were

unlawful and no officer would ever be held accountable. This is not the direction the state

would want to go in the fight against criminals because it can facilitate more crime.

Besides, it shifts the attention of the local police away from real threats such as terrorism
and other crimes under homeland security. For example, the Federation for American

Immigration Reform is an organization that supports the government’s policies to reduce

immigration levels. However, it has been advocating for the suspend TRUST Acts which

shows that immigration laws cannot stand on their own. Many people believe that local

police should be left to enforce criminal law and public safety. Immigration enforcement

should be independent to prevent police from wrongfully holding undocumented

immigrants (Forey, 2014).

In conclusion, Secure Communities has been responsible for the deportation of

many people but it was flawed. The policy heightened racial profiling, which lead to

wrongful arrest and custody of foreigners. It also led to the arrest of undocumented

immigrants who had minor criminal records. As a result, the screening and fingerprinting

of criminal offenders and comparing their information from immigration databases lead to

arrests and hinder many to come forward to be legalized.

 References

Foley E. (2014). Obama Faces Growing Rebellion Against the Secure Communities

Deportation Program. Retrieved 20th October 2022 from,

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/secure-communities_n_5182876

U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (2022). Secure Communities. Retrieved 20th

October 2022 from, https://www.ice.gov/secure-communities