01/27/2025
We are calling on Mayor Don Grebien for Mayor of Pawtucket, RI and the Pawtucket City Council to take immediate action by adopting the ACLU of Rhode Island Immigration Protection Ordinance. This ordinance is vital to safeguarding the rights and safety of all residents in our community.
LETTER: We’re calling on all RI municipalities to adopt ordinances that protect their community from questionable federal immigration tactics.
If adopted by municipalities, our draft ordinance would:
- require judicial warrants before honoring ICE detainers
- assist victims of crime who may be eligible for special immigration status
- reject participation in a program, known as 287(g), that essentially deputizes local police to serve as immigration agents
- avoid other forms of engagement in federal immigration enforcement that can adversely affect public safety and undermine good police-community relations
When local police departments also act as immigration enforcement, it weakens community safety, deterring both immigrants and the friends and family of immigrants — even if they're U.S. citizens — from reporting crime or acting as witnesses.
As stated in our letter to municipalities, this model ordinance would not bar them from continuing to cooperate with ICE in enforcing immigration law when backed by judicial authority or otherwise properly mandated by federal law.
Read the full letter, and the suggested comprehensive ordinance we sent, on our website (link in comments.)
