PROVIDENCE – The police department broke the law while assisting a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid in July, The Providence External Review Authority said in a memo Thursday to Mayor Brett P. Smiley’s office and the City Council.
The incident in question occurred on July 13 when the Providence Police Department was called to a multi-vehicle car accident involving ICE officials who were pursuing a man through the city, according to the memo.
ICE agents arrested Ivan Rene Mendoza-Meza, a Honduran national, after he fled into a home on Alverson Avenue following the crash. Providence police helped evacuate the landlord, the landlord's partner, and two children before Mendoza-Meza surrendered, the memo read.
Mendoza-Meza, a documented MS-13 member, had illegally reentered the U.S. multiple times and was out on bond for a 2023 conviction tied to fentanyl and cocaine distribution, according to ICE. However, PERA's memo reported that Mendoza-Meza was wanted only on a civil detainer at the time of his July arrest, not a criminal warrant.
The PERA, a civilian oversight body that investigates police misconduct but not ethics violations by city officials, ultimately found that Providence police officers set up perimeters, moved crowds, gathered intelligence, and even directed ICE agents tactically, actions explicitly barred by city ordinances and police general orders.
Supervisors on scene even admitted they did not know how to lawfully handle ICE operations and felt they could not leave until the situation was resolved.
Body camera rules were also broken, according to the memo. Multiple Providence officers muted or failed to record critical moments without justification or documentation. Two officers were named directly in PERA's memo: Lt. William Brown, who did not have his body-worn camera activated during the entire incident, and Sgt. Peter Salmons, who repeatedly muted his camera in violation of policy.
The PERA recommended disciplining the officers who violated body camera rules and called on the Providence Police Department to issue clear operational guidelines within 10 days on how officers should handle requests from ICE related to immigration enforcement.
On Friday, Smiley spokesperson Anthony Vega confirmed that "
the Providence Police Department has received and reviewed PERA's documented conclusions and recommendations regarding the recent incident."
Vega added that "
the Department is already developing a training bulletin to provide additional direction and to reinforce consistent practices regarding interactions with federal agencies, particularly U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement .
"This effort reflects our ongoing commitment to ensuring all officers understand the Department's approach and expectations," he said. "The Providence Police Department remains dedicated to fairness, accountability and building trust with all members of our community."
Matthew McNulty is a PBN staff writer. He can be reached at McNulty@PBN.com or on X at @MattMcNultyNYC.
