Once identified, ICE will respond

Do you live in a Secure Community?   Legislation passed by Congress in May 2010 compels anyone who is arrested in the United States to give a blood sample.  Once the DNA of every suspect has been entered into a national database, the information can then be shared with various agencies, such as DHS or DoF.  Armed with biometric information, we can root out potential terrorists, and others deemed to pose a threat to national security.

RICHMOND, Va.- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Secure Communities was activated as of last week in every county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This biometric information sharing strategy enables ICE to identify any alien booked into local law enforcement's custody for a crime. This capability is part of ICE's comprehensive strategy to improve and modernize the identification and removal of criminal aliens from the United States.

Formerly, during the booking process, arrestees' fingerprints were checked for criminal history information only against the biometric database maintained by the FBI. With the implementation of Secure Communities, this fingerprint information is now automatically and simultaneously checked against both the FBI criminal history records and the biometrics-based immigration records maintained by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). If any fingerprints match those of someone in the DHS biometric system, the new automated process notifies ICE.  ICE evaluates each case to determine the individual's immigration status and takes appropriate enforcement action. This includes aliens who are in lawful status and those who are present without lawful authority. Once identified through fingerprint matching, ICE will respond...

Eventually, the agency urges Congress to approve the acquisition of a far more comprehensive database that would include the DNA profile for every resident of the United States.   For example, blood samples should be required of anyone applying for a drivers license or passport. Ideally residents' biometric identification would be incorporated into a mandatory national identification card.   There are many government agencies and initiatives involving our partners in the private sector that could profit from having access to the biometric profiles of all residents.