BURLINGTON, Vt. -
The state of Vermont is now a part of a federal program aimed at identifying illegal immigrants arrested and charged with crimes.
The Department of Homeland Security says its Secure Communities program went into effect Tuesday in Vermont.
The program shares the fingerprints of illegal immigrants charged with crimes with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.
In Burlington Tuesday, dozens of people protested the new program including outside President Barack Obama's Vermont campaign office.
They say during his presidency more people are being thrown of the country.
"Obama has earned his title as Deporter-in-Chief," says Natalia Fajardo, from Migrant Justice.
Fajardo says the newest injustice is the president's program, 'Secure Communities.'
"It's a program that reeking havoc everywhere else in the country, tearing families apart, criminalizing immigrants and unfortunately Obama, who campaigned on promises of immigration reform, has actually delivered the opposite," says Fajardo.
Vermont's Public Safety commissioner says this is not about going after people who are pulled over for simple traffic issues. He says this is about going after more serious criminals.
Commissioner Keith Flynn says only if someone is arrested would police send their fingerprints to the feds.
Supporters of the potentially thousands of illegal immigrants in Vermont want the state to fight the program.
Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy wants to go further.
"We need a major change in immigration laws not just in Vermont, not just for Vermont, but for the whole country," says Leahy.
Homeland Security says that since Secure Communities began in 2008, more than 135,000 illegal immigrants with criminal records have been deported after being identified by the program.
Fajardo says the program will break the trust that has been built up in Vermont between immigrants and the police.
