BOSTON, MASS. As part of a grassroots campaign, Centro Presente celebrated its first Community Forum in East Boston this past Sunday, October 24, with the attendance of more than 40 members of the Latino immigrant community and its allies. Held at the Casa de La Cultura, the attendees heard about the details of how the Secure Communities program functions and participated in popular education activities including theater and discussion.

Secure Communities, a data-sharing program between local law enforcement, ICE and the FBI, has been in force in Boston as a pilot program since 2006. The alleged stated goal of the program is to target “dangerous criminals” who happen to be undocumented.

However, according to statistics obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), of the 230 individuals deported under this program between November 2008 and July 2010 in Boston, 54% of them were categorized as being “non-criminals.” The campaign will continue with more community forums in the Greater Boston area, as well as radio shows, meetings with allies in the non-immigrant community, distribution of educational materials and meetings with law enforcement agencies.

“We are going to continue trying to educate both our community and society in general, that the immigrants are not the threat. That to be secure in our communities is not to blame the most vulnerable for the actions of those on Wall Street,” stated Patricia Montes, Executive Director of Centro Presente.

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