SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- A federal program that automatically checks the immigration status of arrested people has gone statewide in Texas.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Wednesday that the fingerprint sharing program Secure Communities has been activated in all 254 counties in Texas as of this week. Many local jail bookings have used the program for years.
ICE says the program has led to more than 41,000 deportations of illegal immigrants nationwide.
Critics say the program makes people fearful of reporting crimes and does not protect against racial profiling.
The Obama administration wants Secure Communities operating nationwide by 2013.
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