About a dozen opponents of the controversial Secure Communities program ended a press conference being held this morning at the State House by lawmakers and county sheriffs pushing to expand the program throughout Massachusetts.
Some in the group held signs and were from the Somerville-based group Centro Presente, which is trying to counteract implementation of the program that shares fingerprints of every person arrested with the Department of Homeland Security. That agency then checks for immigration violations.
As lawmakers and the sheriffs were taking questions, one member of the group began shouting questions. When he was asked to stop and leave by security the group began shouting “He has the right to speak.”
The sheriffs said they are going around Gov. Deval Partick and are asking federal officials to implement the program statewide.
Patrick has refused to sign on to the program.
