Last month, local police departments throughout Westchester began participating in a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) program called Secure Communities, which cross-checks criminal databases with the names of immigrants who are taken into police custody. Its avowed goal is to find and deport immigrants who commit serious crimes, not minor misdemeanors. Troubling statistics give us reason to doubt the effectiveness and necessity of the initiative.

According to ICE, as of Nov. 30, non-criminals comprised 28 percent (20,871) of the people deported through Secure Communities. Low-level offenders made up an additional 50 percent.

Not only is the deportation of otherwise law abiding illegal immigrants wrong, it hampers the security of our community. Crimes will go unreported if undocumented victims or witnesses fear that contacting the police will ultimately result in deportation. That worry is not unwarranted: Maria Bolanos of Prince George, Md. is facing deportation – and separation from her two-month-old daughter, a U.S. citizen – after reporting domestic violence to police.

It is unclear whether police departments may opt out of Secure Communities. The Obama administration has yet to establish a firm legal basis for compulsory participation; instead it has coerced communities into joining the program by threatening to cut off access to indispensible federal criminal databases.

Larchmont and Mamaroneck law enforcement should explore the feasibility of opting out of Secure Communities. If it is not possible, they should communicate and build trust with the Hispanic community, spelling out exactly what the program entails.

A fearful community is not a secure community.