Tragic mistake; Gov. Patrick must embrace Secure Communities.

COLUMN: IN OUR OPINION

The death of 23-year-old motorcyclist Matthew Denice of Milford last Saturday - killed when he was struck and dragged by an unlicensed and allegedly drunk illegal immigrant - is yet another tragic reminder of how far Massachusetts still has to go in ensuring public safety. The driver who is now charged with vehicular homicide, 34-year-old Nicholas Guaman, a native of Ecuador, has a lengthy criminal record. He clearly should never have been behind the wheel of a vehicle, and ought to have been deported from this country long ago.

There is no way to know with certainty whether Saturday's tragedy might never have occurred had Massachusetts been more active in embracing the federal Secure Communities Act. The act provides for local law enforcement agencies to share arrest and fingerprint data with federal law enforcement and immigration enforcement agencies. Whether Mr. Gauman would have been snared in that net before he chose to get behind the wheel of his truck last Saturday night we do not know.

But Mr. Denice's death does underscore the seriousness of the blunder committed by Gov. Deval Patrick just two months ago when he declared that Massachusetts would opt out of Secure Communities.

In the weeks since, many pundits and politicians, along with members of the public and law enforcement officials, have spoken out strongly in favor of Secure Communities, which targets the most dangerous criminal offenders for swift deportation.

According to federal officials, about 86,600 illegal immigrants convicted of crimes had been deported under the provisions of Secure Communities as of June 30. Unfortunately, Mr. Gauman was not one of them. His criminal record includes a conviction on breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony, three...