DENVER, CO - Today, the New York Times published an article which revealed that Francis Hernandez, the Guatemalan immigrant responsible for a horrific accident in Aurora in 2008, would not have been covered under the Secure Communities agreement under debate in Colorado.The following is a statement from Julien Ross, Executive Director of the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition:
"As we have said all along, Secure Communities is a mistake for Colorado because it is overbroad, undermines community policing by driving victims and witnesses underground, and leaves the door open for civil liberties violations and legal challenges similar to Arizona. Today the New York Times proved that this program would not have flagged Francis Hernandez, who has been used as a poster child and public policy premise for implementing Secure Communities here.
" In light of this new evidence, we call on Colorado media outlets that have previously tied the Hernandez case with the Secure Communities program, to retract their story and publish a correction. The Colorado public deserves to know the truth that the Secure Communities program would not have identified Hernandez nor prevented the tragic accident. The Hernandez case should not be used as a public or political pretext for pursuing Secure Communities.
"The only real solution to the immigration issue remains bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform at the Federal level. This has been shown time and again to be the single workable plan for making our immigration laws work for everyone; by increasing security and providing a path for workers and families to become legal through registering with the government, paying taxes and fines, and learning English. Through such reform, precious enforcement resources could then be focused on real threats to our society, and not on workers, students, and families."
Link to New York Times article
