New York pulls out of federal immigration program

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he is suspending the state's participation in the program because of concerns about "its impact on families, immigrant communities and law enforcement in New York."

Under the program, known as Secure Communities, law enforcement agencies run the fingerprints of people they arrest against immigration databases, aiming to find illegal immigrants.

Critics have said it results in deportations of immigrants who are in the United States illegally but have no criminal arrest record.

Cuomo described some of those criticisms in a letter sent to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Wednesday.

"The heart of concern is that the program, conceived of as a method of targeting those who pose the greatest threat in our communities, is in fact having the opposite effect and compromising pubic safety by deterring witnesses to crime and others from working with law enforcement," he wrote.

"Until the numerous questions and controversies regarding the program can be resolved, we have determined that New York is best served by relying on existing tools to ensure the safety of its residents," he added.