BOSTON—Mayor Thomas Menino says he plans to withdraw Boston from a federal program that requires police to run criminal suspects' fingerprints through an immigration database to check whether they are in the U.S. legally unless the program is limited to only those accused of serious crimes.
In a letter to be delivered Monday to the Department of Homeland Security's Secure Communities task force, Menino said the program has caused a breakdown of relations between residents and police in immigrant communities.
The cross-referencing means people picked up for relatively minor crimes can face deportation.
The Boston Globe reports that in his letter, Menino called on the Secure Communities task force to demonstrate more transparency in how it decides whose fingerprints are shared with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/globe
