"Governor Deval Patrick and others had criticized Secure Communities for deporting significant numbers of immigrants who had not been convicted of any crime." So it's okay to break one rule (being here illegally) if you don't break any others . . . .

So called "immigration advocates" have done a masterful job of hijacking the cause of legitimate and legal immigration to provide moral cover for people who break the law. How can one participate in a society based upon the rule of law if their first act was to break the law? Overstaying a visa and using fraudulent social security number and other illegally obtained documents is breaking the law. In my opinion, The immigration process needs to be revised, Guest worker programs should be implemented. But until these things happen, existing laws and processes no matter how flawed must be followed.

Wonderful news. I'm absolutely delighted. Soon every county, of every state will use SC.

Fantastic! Let the police do their job and weed out the illegal immigrants who are criminals. Now it is up to our Congress to address the illegal immigrant problem once and for all. It is time to enforce a plan to stop any more illegals from coming here and deal with the ones already here. And while they are at it, make English the national language.

Strange that politicians do not share the public's desire to uphold state and federal laws. The oath of office includes that little item. Why are "illegals" not illegals to Patrick? He should be impeached for not doing his sworn duty to uphold the law. I have written exposing Lawrence General Hospital in Lawrence, MA for processing free health care from the same address and same doctor for illegals for years. No one cares? They use phoney social security cards and suck up public funds while living with their unmarried spouses who also draw welfare checks. It might be insignificant if it were a few hundred, but its a few hundred thousand illegals living on your tax dollars while our schools go down the drain. It is not mean spirited to simply ship them back where they came from. Try doing 90 down Mass Avenue and see if you get away with breaking the law. Oops, maybe if you didn't speak English it would be O.K.

The problem here of course, is drunk driving. And let me take the opportunity to tell ya'll that of you think you can reduce the rate of drunk driving with Secure Communities or the rate of any other crime for that matter, you are blinded by bigotry. The numbers just don't work. But if it makes Scott Brown feel like a tough-guy then I suppose it's just peachy.

Love to be a fly on the wall today in the governor's office. He must be furious. Stop coddling illegals, and start protecting the citizens of Mass. I know your looking for more votes.

Proponents of local immigration enforcement make false connections between immigration and crime. According to decades of research, immigrants—including undocumented immigrants—don't commit crimes at higher rates than U.S.-born residents. Demographic patterns and political pressure influence the program's growth. And although Secure Communities is sold as a tool to improve public safety and uphold the rule of law, it is not associated with high levels of crime at the local level. At the same time, right-wing immigration foes draw on the myth of immigrant criminality to champion expanded local immigration enforcement. The links between undocumented immigration, violent crime and terrorism would be scary—if they were actually true. Even The American Conservative warned immigration restrictionists to stay away from making "unsubstantiated claims about crime" to support tighter immigration enforcement. Given the data and evidence demonstrating that immigrants are not prone to crime, it's misguided for localities to pursue costly programs targeting this population in the name of public safety. Link: http://www.drummajorinstitute.org/pdfs/DMI_Cost_of_Failure.pdf

Patrick and Mumbles are killing the citizens of this state by not passing this law or treating illegals for what they are: "Criminal" or line jumping scum not caring about the poor honest people who apply the right way. The Dumbocrats are rewarding criminals for not obeying the law. Vote these idiots out before your kids and people you love are raped and robbed.

They are line jumping criminals who rather than fill out the right forms and wait in line like honest people steal into this country. They are criminals to start with, never mind about drunk driving. Where do you get the numbers from? Get some numbers about honest people waiting in line in all the countries that don't border the US. Most of the crimes are committed by Spanish speaking people or don't you read the Globe?

I can never understand the opposition. If you get arrested for a crime, your background is always checked. Why wouldn't "Be an illegal alien" be among what is checked? Honestly, so long as this remains at the "If someone is arrested" then I can't see the opposition.

Is there any way to deport Patrick?

It is time Patrick stopped playing politics and seriously considered what is in the best interests of the state, and then he can also widen his perspective, to what is in the best interests of the U.S.A. It is not to have 'open borders.' This has never been the case in the history of this country. Now, is not the time to open the nation's borders because there are too many people who want to kill Americans. This is a question of national security - why does Patrick have such a difficult time making logical decisions? Why will Patrick and his pal Obama do anything to garner VOTES for Obama? Don't the two of them realize that they are putting the citizens of Massachusetts and all Americans at risk? If a Governor or President find it hard to protect us then it is time they left the world stage. The foremost duty of a country's government #1. Protect the country's citizens. This is not a political issue.

So, Gov. Patrick says this law is unfair because it leads to the deportation of illegal immigrants with no criminal convictions. Well, they are still breaking a law - maybe no one died or got hurt, but they still broke a law. If people are here illegally, they do not belong here. Do we now get to pick and choose the laws we follow? I don't think so.

Well, they are still breaking the law by being here illegally. This is really the issue for me - they are breaking the law and they should be held accountable. If I were to break a law, I would be held accountable, why do others get a different set of rules? They shouldn't and now finally, they do not.

HHKitchener2- The reason my comments are indeed relevant is that the entire stated purpose of this law is supposed to be a crime-fighting measure but all of the supporters think it is an anti-illegal immigration measure. I'm just saying that if you're worried about drunks on the road - you are not going to affect a positive change in that direction with this law. I've got no problem with the idea of state and federal cooperation. The thing is, everyone (except apparently me) on this comments board is equating the proposal with fighting illegal immigration and that's disingenuous. If the country wants to change its immigration policies then change the GD immigration policies. This just snares bunch of families into a bigoted net. You're painting this large population with broad strokes. Unfair. Un-Civil and Un-American.

You don't get what I'm saying. You are being intentionally ignorant. What you want is an immigration law. Not an anti-crime law. This just acts to discriminate against people.

HHKitchener2- I call it like I see it. I see no need to sugarcoat it. I'll add that (present company exuded) there are a lot of people out there who say they are in favor of legal immigration but what you don't hear is that those "wanted" legal immigrants are not poor Mexicans or Guatemalans. The legal immigrants they are talking about are rich investors who can put money into our economy, they are "smart" people from Asia or India with college educations etc. They're people from Western Europe. And you know what? That's fine. There are some good reasons to favor folks like that. I get it. But with reference to those already here. Let me ask you honestly, do you think anyone jumping up and down about "illegal immigration" wants to have short, Spanish-speaking brown people from south of the border with no education around? Are you kidding me? Of course they don't. I'll quote Jay Severin, "So now, in addition to venereal disease and the other leading exports of Mexico – women with mustaches and VD – now we have swine flu." As I said before, if folks want to change the immigration laws, then change them. Just don't come around with these cowardly laws talking about saving us from "dangerous criminals". You can always use the exception to drive the rule. If people want to just round up all the school children and their parents and have the military put them on buses, probably around 400,000 bus loads of people over a period of months and months and ship them all back over the border then LET THAT POLITICIAN STAND UP AND RAISE HIS/HER HAND. LET THAT TWISTED REACTIONARY RAISE HIS HAND AND SAY LET'S DO IT!! You want them to go to their "true home"? Do you actually want that to really happen? That's a monstrous idea. Monstrous. Have you no humanity? I swear, of all the most ridiculous notions. And as if it would solve any of this country's problems. Get serious.