Identity check: letting local police check detainees' immigration status causes concern.

• Author: Rusling, Matthew
• Position: SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS

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The Department of Homeland Security is undertaking a new initiative to allow local police to check the immigration status of those persons it takes under custody. The plan has sparked protest by at least one human rights group.

In the past, detainees' fingerprints were checked against a Federal Bureau of Investigation database to determine if they had a criminal history. Under the Secure Communities Program, however, their fingerprints will also be checked against DHS' Ident database, said Anna Hinken, a DHS spokeswoman.

The program checks a detainee's biometrics against a watch list of nearly five million known or suspected terrorists, criminals and immigration violators that have been identified by U.S. government agencies and Interpol, Hinken said.

Biometrics are also checked against more than 100 million sets of fingerprints DHS has collected since the start of US-VISIT, which takes biometrics from foreign visitors entering the United States to determine if a person is using an alias, she said.

The goal is to prevent dangerous criminals--drug offenders, murderers, rapists, robbers and kidnappers--from being released back into communities, said David Venturella, the program's executive director in a statement.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a DHS agency, administers the program. If an individual's fingerprints match a set in the DHS system, an automated process notifies ICE and the local authorities who made the arrest. Cases are reviewed...