Senate hopeful seeks immigrant law fix

BOSTON, Mass. (AP) - Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren says the federal Secure Communities law should be improved before it is fully implemented by the end of next year.

Warren said Monday that the law as it currently stands does not focus on violent offenders and would create barriers between immigrant communities and local police. The Harvard Law School professor spoke to reporters after appearing at a Statehouse event held by the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Coalition.

Under Secure Communities, fingerprints taken from a crime suspect by local police would be turned over to federal authorities, who could bring deportation proceedings if the person was in the U.S. illegally.

Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown has recently taken Warren to task over Secure Communities and other immigration issues. Brown was invited to Monday's event but did not attend.