Ayuda Helps Defeat "Secure Communities" in DC
August 13, 2010In July, immigrants' advocacy and service groups won a victory when the D.C. Police Department (DCPD) decided to withdraw their agreement with the federal government to implement Secure Communities. When a local or state jurisdiction implements Secure Communities, the fingerprints of all immigrants who are arrested (not convicted) for certain crimes are automatically sent to the immigration authorities.
Ayuda generally opposed Secure Communities, focusing its efforts particularly on the potential impact for domestic violence (DV) survivors. DV survivors are often arrested at the same time as their abusers, and this initiative would make them even less willing than usual to contact the police. Ayuda was a leader around the DV issue, submitted written testimony to the D.C. Council, and also read testimony from one of our DV clients. Here is an excerpt...