As your attorney general, protecting Rhode Island communities from harm is my highest priority. We have taken a strong step toward enhancing the safety of our communities by signing on to the federal Secure Communities program.
Since the announcement that Rhode Island had signed on to the Secure Communities program, I believe there has been misinformation and confusion on what the program will mean to our immigrant communities. It is my hope to clear up any confusion or concern on the impact Secure Communities will have on all our communities.
As attorney general, I am duty-bound to protect our communities, including our immigrant communities. It is our mission to prosecute those who break state law and protect all victims from harm. It is not and has never been our mission to crack down on illegal immigration. That role is limited to federal officials, not the Office of the Attorney General.
If you are a victim of a crime or witness a crime, no matter your immigration status, you have nothing to fear in coming forward. In order for you to become part of the Secure Communities database, your fingerprints have to be submitted through a lawful arrest. If you report a crime, law enforcement officials and prosecutors do not obtain your fingerprints. By not coming forward and working with law enforcement, you are putting yourself and your community at greater risk by allowing a criminal to remain on the streets to commit more crimes in your community against you, your family and your neighbors.
If you receive a traffic violation, such as a speeding ticket or a parking ticket, you will not be impacted and your fingerprints will not be entered into or run against the Secure Communities database. Individuals come into contact with Secure Communities only if they have been arrested for a crime. Only those who have previously been convicted of a crime or have previously had contact with the Department of Homeland Security will be in the database.
The implementation of Secure Communities adds another level of security screening when offenders are arrested for committing crimes. Currently, when someone is arrested through a lawful investigation, they are fingerprinted. Those fingerprints are sent through state and federal databases to determine if they have a previous criminal record, if they are wanted on an outstanding warrant or if they are wanted in connection to another crime. With the implementation of Secure Communities, federal authorities will also run the fingerprints through the Department of Homeland Security database. If a person is determined to have been previously convicted of a crime and is in the country illegally, Immigration and Customs Enforcement may decide whether deportation is in order given the severity of the crime and the suspect's criminal history. The more dangerous the person is deemed to be, the more likely that person will be a priority for immigration enforcement action. This will protect all of us and will make our streets and neighborhoods safer and more secure.
Just as having access to the FBI database revolutionized information sharing among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, Secure Communities will continue to improve communication and cooperation with our federal law enforcement partners. Secure Communities just adds another level of security screening when offenders are arrested for committing crimes. Local law enforcement does not take a federal immigration enforcement role with Secure Communities. In fact, Secure Communities does not authorize or permit state and local law enforcement officers to enforce immigration law — Immigration and Customs Enforcement retains that sole authority.
Secure Communities simply gives our law enforcement agencies another tool — in essence, an improved database. Anytime law enforcement has greater access to information that will help identify individuals in custody, it helps them do their job of keeping our communities safe.
With this issue and others, there are naysayers — those who disagree with the program without a clear understanding of its purpose and how it functions. But this initiative is aimed at keeping criminals off the street and cracking down on those who break the law. I am confident that Secure Communities will help protect all those who reside in Rhode Island — regardless of immigration status — helping to move our state toward a safer and more secure future.
Peter Kilmartin is the Attorney General of Rhode Island.
