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From El Diario:

Governor Cuomo’s decision to suspend New York’s participation in the so-called Secure Communities program not only brings relief to vulnerable immigrant families but also helps build their confidence in government and the police.

Since former Governor David Paterson signed onto Secure Communities, community organizations, elected officials and this page have called for New York to withdraw from this problem-riddled program.

The controversial program, commonly known as S-Comm, put immigrant New Yorkers with minor or no offenses on the road to deportation.

Trust and respect between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve is critical for public safety. But by forcing local governments to submit information of anyone arrested into a federal database—the reliability and accuracy of which has been repeatedly questioned—Secure Communities achieves the exact opposite of what its name indicates: it alienates civilians from the police and makes our communities unsafe.

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