PROVIDENCE – The City Council on Thursday unanimously approved stricter limits on how police interact with federal immigration authorities.
The revised rules, part of the city's Community-Police Relations Act, explicitly prohibits Providence police from assisting any federal immigration agency, including sharing information or helping at a scene, unless officers are presented with a criminal warrant signed by a judge.
The new amendments, which Mayor Brett P. Smiley said he will sign into law, also bar Providence Public Schools and the Municipal Court from granting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents access to their facilities without a judicial warrant.
Some earlier ideas from an Oct. 3 draft, including broader “safe spaces” at hospitals and houses of worship, were dropped during previous negotiations with the mayor’s office.
Another major point of negotiation involved a new provision allowing community organizations to challenge alleged violations. After Smiley cautioned the original language could invite frivolous lawsuits, councilors rewrote the section so organizations may sue only the city itself, and just for declaratory or injunctive relief, not monetary damages.
Smiley now has 10 days to sign, veto, or let the ordinance take effect without his signature. Spokesperson Anthony Vega told Providence Business News the mayor plans to approve it after collaborating with the council on the updated language.
The changes arrive after renewed scrutiny of a July arrest on Alverson Ave., when Providence officers assisted ICE during a pursuit that ended in a house search and arrest.
The Providence External Review Authority – the city’s civilian oversight board – later concluded those actions violated the Community-Police Relations Act, saying officers provided tactical support to ICE even though the subject was wanted only on a civil detainer at the time.
The police union rejected PERA’s findings as “trash,” arguing officers simply worked to resolve a dangerous situation involving a potentially violent suspect. PERA countered that the union was attempting to “mislead the public,” and urged the department to issue clear operational guidance on how officers should respond to ICE requests.
Smiley’s office said in August that new training protocols were already being developed.
Matthew McNulty is a PBN staff writer. He can be reached at McNulty@PBN.com or on X at @MattMcNultyNYC.
