10 Alabama counties join federal program to deport illegal aliens who have criminal records (The Birmingham News)

10 Alabama counties join federal program to deport illegal aliens who have criminal records
Published: Wednesday, May 25, 2011, 4:05 PM
By Jeremy Gray -- The Birmingham News

Shelby and Talladega counties are among 10 latest statewide that have joined a program to find and deport illegal aliens with criminal records, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Wednesday.

The others are Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Colbert, Coosa, Cullman, Franklin, and Jackson.

Alabama joined the Secure Communities system in April when Autauga, Baldwin, Blount, Chilton, Elmore, Escambia, Etowah, Jefferson, Lee, Limestone, Marshall, Mobile, Morgan, Tallapoosa, and Tuscaloosa counties came on board.

The program helps federal immigration officials identify illegal aliens in state prisons and jails by running their fingerprints against federal immigration databases when they are booked into custody.

ICE is using the system in 1,315 jurisdictions in 42 states and hopes to have it in place nationwide by 2013.

The agency said nationwide it has led to the removal of 77,000 criminal aliens -- more than 28,000 had been convicted of violent felonies.