By Maggie Lee / Staff

Fulton County law enforcement will soon be using biometrics to catch illegal immigrants who are picked up for other infractions, but the nature of the new program leaves many holes in the net. 

What's coming is the federal Secure Communities Program. It links local law enforcement to a U.S. Customs and Immigration database of fingerprints of wanted people.

 
Right now, explained Roswell police chief Ed Williams, his force depends on people to give their real names and identify themselves as foreign nationals if they're booked in the city lockup. Then Williams' officers will run names through an ICE database to check if the federal agency would like to see that person as well.

Under the new program, cops will be able to see past an alias and match a person to their fingerprint.

But only if there's a fingerprint on file.

"If you just walk across the border, you've never had any contact with ICE," said Williams.  

"Whereas if you've been fingerprinted, whether for a visa or a prior arrest, you'll be in the system."

That means jails are more likely to catch people who have overstayed visas, but generally won't catch people who enter the States illegally but keep a clean record while they're here. 

Of some 4,500 bookings into the Roswell jail last year, about 1,600 were self-identified foreign nationals. However, Williams added that he gets far more "detainers" -- requests to hold a person for another law enforcement agency -- from other counties than from ICE. 

"Our crime doesn't really often rise to the level of what ICE directs their attention to," explained to Roswell Councilwoman and public safety liaison Nancy Diamond. 

ICE WANTS THE BIG FISH

It's similar in Alpharetta. 

"The number of illegal aliens arrested is so small, we don't keep statistics," said George Gordon, a spokesman for the Alpharetta police. 

That being said, the LiveScan machine that police need to join Secure Communities has already been ordered for the Alpharetta jail. It interfaces not just with ICE databases, but also with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and any other agencies that make their databases searchable.

 
In fact, a fingerprint scan will be made mandatory for anyone applying for a liquor license or taxi license in the local cities.  

Cobb and Gwinnett Counties have already started checking county prisoners' fingerprints against an ICE database, but that's a slightly different program. Under the 287(g) program, ICE agents train local police to enforce immigration law. Each partnership is governed by separate agreements, but could, for example, allow a county jail to hold someone on immigration charges -- or ask for proof of legal residency during a routine traffic stop. 

That, however, goes a little too far say critics, like the American Friends Service Committee, a faith-based group founded by Quakers.

"The 287(g) program is not a fundamental solution, nor does it ensure community safety," claimed AFSC researcher Christian Ramirez.

His group would rather see comprehensive immigration reform, including a path for illegal residents to legalize their status. 

ROSWELL REJECTS

Roswell has twice applied to join 287(g). They were rejected last year.  Williams conceded that ICE gets "more bang for its buck" if it partners with larger forces, like those in Cobb and Gwinnett. He's however, applied again this year.  

"We'd love to see Fulton County in 287(g)," said Roswell Councilwoman Nancy Diamond.  But "government time runs a little differently," she concluded.