Biometrics Now Shared by all Counties in Arizona in Managing Immigrants

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began using federal information sharing capability in all Arizona counties. The system uses biometrics to identify immigrants, both lawfully and unlawfully present in the United States who are booked into local law enforcement’s custody for a crime. This information sharing capability is part of Secure Communities — ICE’s comprehensive strategy to improve and modernize the identification and removal of criminal immigrants. Under the system, fingerprint information submitted through the state to the FBI will be automatically checked against both the FBI criminal history records and the biometrics-based immigration records in DHS’s Automated Biometric Identification System. 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. ICE is now using the system in 746 jurisdictions in 34 states.

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