The governor's office sent out releases Monday regarding a groundbreaking he attended for a new rail facility in Worcester and a supplemental budget he'd filed to aid victims of the Springfield tornadoes. But there was nothing on his decision to back off from participating in the federal Secure Communities initiative designed to rid the country of violent criminals here illegally.
Deval Patrick's reticence on the issue of Secure Communities is understandable, given that it makes him look weak and indecisive.
Sharing fingerprints and other data of those arrested here with the FBI and Homeland Security makes perfect sense. And if that information reveals someone accused of a violent crime is here illegally, why shouldn't they be subject to deportation?
Yet the administration continues to waffle on this issue. Shortly after taking office in 2007 Patrick rescinded an order by his predecessor, Mitt Romney, allowing state police to share similar information with federal law enforcement agencies. Then last December he announced the state would participate in a revised program, however reluctantly.
But recently there was a change of heart. The about-face was announced Friday as most of Beacon Hill's attention was still focused on dealing with the effects of the devastating tornadoes in Western Massachusetts. Monday Patrick acknowledged the decision, telling reporters in December he'd thought participation was mandatory; but having been informed otherwise, he'd chosen to take a pass. (The Boston Globe reported yesterday that unnamed federal officials in Washington were saying Massachusetts will be required to join in the initiative anyway by 2013.)
The administration's back-and-forth is not only embarrassing, but is also a threat to public safety.
According to Rep. Ryan Fattman, R-Sutton, one of several legislators who have written Patrick asking him to reconsider his latest decision, 41 states are already participating in Secure Communities and a pilot program in which Boston police share information in an effort to determine suspects' immigration status has resulted in 293 potential offenders being taken off the street.
According to Fattman, "It's time this administration side with taxpayers and public safety officials ... instead of criminals who are also here illegally."
Added House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones Jr., R-North Reading, in a release issued Monday, the administration seems more concerned with "scoring political points with allies ... than what is the best public policy for the commonwealth."
Critics of Secure Communities suggest it's the first step towards an Arizona-style program aimed at harassing all immigrants. It's no such thing, but rather is designed specifically to identify those who are here illegally and up to no good.
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