Media Perspective on Secure Communities in U.S Essay

Media Perspective on Secure Communities in U.S - Essay Example At the initial stages of implementation, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement took a firm stand that was later diluted by the civil society and the media. According to a report by Alex Johnson, a reporter with NBC News, the agency was stringent in the adoption of the policy. The report states that they were not ready to tolerate opposition from neither the state agencies nor the county authorities. The process seemed difficult but the authority was very keen on its implementation, the media further reported on the issue especially on the criticism and dissatisfaction by the state governments. The New York Times reported about the incidence as well as CNN. Some of the media platforms have their personnel criticizing the nature in which the agency was planning to approach the issue. As early as 2010, two years after its adoption the policy started gaining media popularity for all the wrong reasons. The agency was purported to have been deporting innocent individuals. According to th eir report released in the 2010, up to 27% of the deportees were individuals that had not participated in any criminal activity (Johnson 1). The program has been faulted by some media platforms of targeting innocent people or individuals who have committed minor offences. According to Robert Morgenthau of ‘The Daily Beast’, the federal program has targeted quite a number of immigrants who have no criminal record. He asserts, â€Å"Immigrants with no criminal record, who fall into no priority category for removal, should not become ‘targeted’ for deportation simply because they made a right turn without signalling† (Morgenthau 1). Reporting on the same issue, Elena Shore of the New America Media says that ‘Although the program's goal is to prioritize the deportation of those with a criminal record, it has led to the deportation of thousands of immigrants with  no criminal records† (Shore 1). Reporting on the same issue, Elena Shore of th e New America Media says that ‘Although the program's goal is to prioritize the deportation of those with a criminal record, it has led to the deportation of thousands of immigrants with  no criminal records†. These views demonstrate the dissatisfaction that has been advanced by the media personnel against the program. The opposition can be translated to capture the views of other media platforms since their voice has not been heard. The data sharing system has received criticism from the members of the fourth estate. The Secure Communities Program has been faulty in some instances leading to insurmountable damages. In July 2012, James Eng of NBC news reported a case of a man who was held in maximum prison for allegedly being considered for deportation under the provisions of the program. The man went ahead to sue the government for the illegal jailing, marking the first case to challenge the contentious program. The challenge of the program in a court of law by an ind ividual attracted the interest of the media hence facilitating the media criticism (Eng 1). The mode of data transmission has been questioned with the media personnel casting doubts on the media used. There is also likelihood of probable errors that could have result to criminalization of an innocent citizens, asserts the reporter. Despite the stringency adopted by the Immigration and