Since January of this year, when Secure Communities went into effect in New York's Putnam County, almost nobody in the immigrant community here has been informed about this controversial measure whereby the federal government checks immigrants' fingerprints using a computerized program.

The scarcity of information prompted Norma Pereira-Mora, director of the community organization Hudson Valley Community Coalition, to reach out to Captain William McNamara of the Putnam County Sheriff Office. They got together, and Pereira stressed the value of immigrants' contributions to the community.

"We were all very disappointed to find out about the implementation of this measure, especially since it was done without consulting Putnam's community groups so everyone could have a say in the impact of the program," said Pereira, who lives in Carmel.

During her meeting with McNamara, Pereira, an activist of Guatemalan ancestry, expressed the need to organize a community gathering where all residents can learn about how Secure Communities works, "especially since it affects us at the local level and I think that out of all people, we who live here would best understand."

Secure Communities functions by means of a database run by the Department of Homeland Security, which checks the fingerprints of anyone that is arrested for a crime or charges of misconduct.

"I asked the sheriff how such a measure was passed without considering the opinions of the community, given that it can affect the residents of a town that has flourished in the last 15 years thanks to the hard work of immigrants, when everything was almost dead," added Pereira.

During the meeting with Pereira, McNamara maintained that nothing has changed in Putnam and pointed out that his office has not been doing the work of ICE, because the purpose of Secure Communities is to arrest people with criminal records.

According to McNamara, although it isn't his place to check immigration status, drivers who commit an infraction will be asked for their licenses and will be sanctioned.

McNamara said that he isn't dealing with anything new except for a faster process and that his office's job has never been to arrest people.

The next county to participate in Secure Communities is Rockland and the following could be Westchester.

"Those who have passed the measure don't realize that those who hire the workers forget about legal status when they benefit from the workers' services and labor," said Mora, who asserts the importance of community education on these issues and of community groups joining forces to get access to legal assistance for immigrants.

According to the federal government, Secure Communities will be implemented nationwide in 2013. In response, various organizations in the region have come together to learn about the program and to figure out how to help immigrants affected by it. The sheriff has promised to hold a community gathering in the near future; if it takes place, it will be the second such meeting after a seven year hiatus, when the sheriff's office organized a meeting with the community of Putnam.