Rhode Island and its capital city may have adopted policies that limit local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities in many cases, but leaders here aren't exactly broadcasting it far and wide for fear it may put them in the Trump administration's crosshairs.
In Providence, Mayor Brett P. Smiley has gone out of his way not to use the phrase "sanctuary city," which he said has no true definition and could invite blowback from President Donald Trump.
City Council President Rachel Miller agrees with that strategy, saying there is little upside to putting yourself out there as a sanctuary.
“If the goal is making the city safe and making sure we are prospering in the same direction, then certainly putting a target on your back is not helpful,” she said.
Miller thinks the term sanctuary city has been redefined since it first became popularized during the 1980s and the influx of migrants fleeing civil wars in El Salvador and Guatemala.
"Back then it had a specific meaning," she said. "But I think it has been used to divide people unnecessarily. Now we have someone with a very big bullhorn stirring things up, causing one side to be emboldened and causing fear and anxiety with the other.”
With reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents being present in multiple Rhode Island cities, it may be best to stay off the administration's radar, she says, even if the policies haven't been changed.
“The bottom line is the actual policies and practices of different city departments. Public safety being one of them,” said Miller. “Cities are safer when everyone who lives in the city is comfortable going to the police to report crimes.”
City Council Majority Whip Miguel Sanchez doesn't agree with a quiet approach.
While Sanchez acknowledges the term "sanctuary city" may have no legal definition and the official city policy will remain in place, rhetoric from elected officials can go a long way in letting people feel supported by those who govern them, he says.
“I understand there is a balance that needs to play out,” Sanchez said. “But there has historically been mistrust in the community with national law enforcement. At times, the city is not very clear. I think the mayor needs to do a better job in communicating what the policies are and try to be more compassionate when it comes to protecting our most vulnerable communities.”
As for whether the state remains a “sanctuary,” Rhode Island’s reputation in politically conservative circles as a safe haven was cemented when in 2014 then-Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee – a Democrat at the time – issued an executive order executive order preventing state agencies from holding individuals solely based on ICE detainer requests unless there was a judicial warrant.
More recently, Gov. Daniel J. McKee said publicly in January that the state police should not be used as federal immigration agents, vowing to “stand by” the state’s undocumented population, estimated to number between 25,000 and 30,000 people. McKee's office did not respond to requests for comment.
Rhode Island has not officially designated itself as a sanctuary state, but organizations outside Rhode Island's borders look at it that way.
Both the Federation for American Immigration Reform and The Center for Immigration Studies include the entire state among their respective lists of sanctuary domains, defined as those with “laws, ordinances, regulations, or other practices that obstruct immigration enforcement and shield criminals from ICE.”
Trump has publicly threatened to take away federal funds from so-called “sanctuary jurisdictions,” even though judicial precedent, including a 2019 federal appeals court decision on a lawsuit brought by Providence and Central Falls, barred the federal government from requiring any collaboration with ICE.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island earlier this year sent an open letter to Rhode Island municipalities advising that local officials “have no obligation under federal law to participate in the enforcement of federal immigration laws,” going as far as to warn that cooperating with an ICE detainer may actually be illegal.
But a January memo from then-acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove ordered federal prosecutors to investigate state or local officials who they believe are interfering with the Trump administration’s crackdown.
Miller, who has been fielding calls from constituents, now worries for the well-being of the undocumented or that of their family members. She said it was ironic that directives from a self-proclaimed champion of wealth creation and law enforcement may have the opposite effect.
“This level of uncertainty definitely has a chilling effect in multiple ways, including economic,” she said.
In response, local organizations such as the Rhode Island branch of Party for Socialism and Liberation and Alliance to Mobilize Our Resistance Rhode Island have been taking to social media to warn of the presence of ICE agents or send notices of raids in progress.
In addition to official actions that have already taken place in cities from Newport to Central Falls, modern technology has also made tales of raids and deportations in places hundreds of miles away go viral, accelerating community fear, says Marcela Betancur, Latino Policy Institute’s executive director.
The big SUV with tinted windows might be an ICE agent in an unmarked vehicle. Or it could be nothing. But these changes have in some neighborhoods turned vibrant commercial streets eerily quiet, with empty restaurants and vacant playgrounds, Betancur says.
“There is a fear that ’they are watching us,’ ” she said.
