Welcome to the SC Update

Welcome to the SC Update, an online newsletter featuring important news, success stories, and updates from ICE Secure Communities.

The Secure Communities initiative is a mission-centric effort to increase national security and community safety by identifying, processing, and removing all removable criminal aliens, beginning with those who pose the greatest known risk to public safety. Secure Communities is leading ICE’s efforts to modernize and transform its criminal alien enforcement model, through technology, integration and information sharing. The Secure Communities Program improves the way ICE identifies, detains and removes criminal aliens by moving from the traditional agent-based model, to a technology-based model. The difference between the two models lie in the three main pillars on which we are building the program — IDENTIFY criminal aliens in federal, state, and local custody and at-large; PRIORITIZE enforcement actions to ensure apprehension and removal of dangerous criminal aliens; and TRANSFORM criminal alien enforcement processes and systems to achieve lasting results.

Speak Out

Secure Communities desires to keep you informed and would like your honest feedback as a part of our effort. In the next few weeks we will be conducting several focus group sessions to gather your input about the program. We are asking for your help to make Secure Communities more effective in identifying and removing criminal aliens.

Program Stats

• As of February 12, 2009, automatic biometric identification is now available at 39 sites in 6 states, servicing 870 booking locations. This will produce approximately 826,265 annual fingerprint submissions.
• During Q1 FY 2009, 5,707 biometric identification submissions resulted in IDENT matches. Of these, 124 were violent or narcotic offenders. A total of 955 ICE detainers were issued on identified criminal aliens.
• In FY 2008, ICE removed 112,000 criminal aliens. This represents an 8% increase over the previous year. Preliminary figures for Q1 FY2009 indicate a similar increase for FY 2009.
• Secure Communities has funded 1,246 additional beds in FY 2009.
• The number of ICE criminal prosecutions accepted has more than doubled between Q1 FY 2008 and Q1 FY 2009.

In The News

01/12/2009 | Immigration officials active at Washoe jail

01/23/2009 | Sheriff defends county role in feds' illegal immigrants program

12/27/2008 | City of immigrants fills jail cells with its own

Success Stories

Aggravated assault felon and gang member identified by Secure Communities Partners

MARICOPA COUNTY, AZ – On January 29, 2009, the Mesa Police Department encountered a criminal alien while responding to a family dispute incident. Using biometric identification, ICE Secure Communities was able to identify Alan Beltran-Sierra as a Mexican national who had been deported in December 2006 after serving more than seven years in the Arizona Department of Corrections. Beltran-Sierra’s lengthy criminal history contains the following convictions: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, endangerment and gang-related threatening and intimidation. Upon further investigation by ICE, Beltran-Sierra admitted to membership in the Los Compitas Mesa gang. Beltran-Sierra faces federal criminal charges for reentry after removal.

Drug and violent felony convictions alien identified by Secure Communities Partners

BUNCOMBE COUNTY, NC - On December 23, 2008, ICE Secure Communities identified Ismael Villalobos-Medrid, a previously removed criminal alien with multiple felony convictions, including larceny, drugs, and assault. Villalobos-Medrid arrested for driving while intoxicated, provided police with false identification information. Through biometric identification, ICE was able to retrieve his immigration and criminal history which spans over two decades and four different states. ICE has lodged a detainer and Villalobos-Medrid faces potential federal prosecution for re-entry after removal.

Convicted felony drug trafficking alien identified by Secure Communities Partners

BOSTON, MA - On December 23, 2008 the Boston Police Department charged Dindyal Ramroop with possession of and intent to sell heroin. Using biometric identification, ICE identified Ramroop as a national of Guyana who entered the United States without being inspected by crossing the United States-Canadian border in 1999. Ramroop was initially encountered by ICE on January 11, 2005, in Dorchester County, MA after a conviction for possession with intent to sell heroin. Ramroop was ordered removed but was subsequently released under an order of supervision. A detainer has been lodged and Ramroop will be taken into ICE custody upon disposition of the current criminal charges. ICE will attempt to execute the existing warrant of deportation.

The Secure Communities Update is published monthly. To subscribe/unsubscribe, email secure.communities@dhs.gov. To view archives, visit the Secure Communities website.