Mass. Governor Deval Patrick has notified the Department of Homeland Security that there will be no agreement between Massachusetts and the Government’s Secure Community Program.
Citing statistics from the Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement office, Massachusetts Public Safety Secretary Mary Beth Heffernan said the numbers show that only about one in four of those deported since the start of Boston’s pilot participation in the program were convicted of a serious crime.
Massachusetts joins New York and Illinois as states that have said they will not participate in the program. California has legislation being considered that will let the individual communities decide if they wish to participate in Secure Communities or not.
