‘No evidence’ of ICE raids in R.I., Governor McKee says, as rumors swirl around New England

Still, local immigrants are on edge. “People are worried. People are afraid,” said the executive director of the Latino Policy Institute

Local immigrants in Rhode Island are on edge.Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Associated Press

PROVIDENCE – Amid rumors of raids carried out by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in New England this week after President Trump began his second term on Monday, there has been “no evidence” of any such raids in Rhode Island, Governor Dan McKee said.

“I haven’t heard anything currently,” McKee told reporters at a Thursday press conference on an unrelated matter. “We don’t have any evidence of that happening in Rhode Island at the moment.” McKee’s office confirmed again Friday it was not aware of any ICE raids or arrests since Trump’s inauguration.

McKee said he was also not aware of any requests from ICE or the US Department of Justice for data about or for access to immigrants currently held by law enforcement in the state.

“If we hear differently, we’ll make that known to you,” he said.

Rumors and fears of raids have rattled and ricocheted around the region’s immigrant community in the days since Trump took office, as the president has vowed to follow through on campaign promises of mass deportations of people who are undocumented.

Text messages and social media posts circulated rumors of immigration officers seen on raids near Boston, and of federal agents at school bus stops in Worcester, although neither incident turned out to be real.

Still, Marcela Betancur, executive director of the Latino Policy Institute, said news of arrests in Boston and Newark, N.J., have stoked fears in Rhode Island.

“People are worried,” she said. “People are afraid.”

But Betancur, whose group is part of the Immigration Coalition of Rhode Island, said she is not aware of any recent ICE raids or arrests in Rhode Island. And she warned that a lot of misinformation is spreading as people post videos online of raids that took place years ago.

“It’s really important not to put misinformation out there to scare people,” she said.

Whether federal authorities have brought about any actual changes in how they operate since Trump took office remained unclear on Thursday. Multiple messages left with ICE were not returned, despite images circulating of agents arresting immigrants, including alleged MS-13 gang members, in Boston.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said there had been no federal immigration raids in the state in recent days.

“It looked like there was an effort to target individuals who had been charged with crimes who were at large,” Healey said. “That’s just normal, appropriate, run-of-the-mill law enforcement, and I support that. These weren’t raids.”

In Rhode Island, McKee said State Police already notify and cooperate with ICE when immigrants have been charged with violent or serious crimes.

“That’s already happening,” McKee said. “The areas that, you know, we’re concerned about, obviously, is we want to make sure that that doesn’t go beyond that, right? And we’ll respond as we get more information.”

McKee’s administration is now reviewing a flurry of executive orders issued by Trump, who signed directives that include allowing US Military service members to serve as immigration and border enforcement officers and redefining birthright citizenship.

McKee said he’d like to see a path for amnesty for those who are undocumented.

“We have people in the state that pay taxes,” he said. “They’re definitely baked into our communities.”

In Providence, which has a large immigrant population, officials also said they had not received confirmation of any ICE raids since Trump took office.

“Mayor Smiley has affirmed that the Providence Police Department will not and should not be immigration officers,” spokesperson Josh Estrella said.

He said the policy would not change in light of the Department of Justice’s threat that they will investigate local officials who don’t fully cooperate with immigration authorities.

“The city has not and will not proactively collaborate with ICE to provide information and will not change this policy,” Estrella said.

Providence police do not hold suspects on administrative detainers from ICE, but they do comply with criminal warrants signed by a judge. Police officers also cannot ask someone about their immigration status, according to a written policy.

But the City Council is considering putting restrictions on ICE cooperation into law in light of Trump’s stated plans. Smiley’s office said Friday the city’s legal department is still reviewing the proposed ordinance.

Betancur said since the presidential election, the Immigration Coalition of Rhode Island “has been preparing for how to continue supporting and informing the community about their rights in this changing political climate.

“We are continuing to engage with our community organization to support them about ‘know your rights’ training and any specific legal support they may need,” Betancur said.

Also, the coalition is focused on what protections state and local officials can provide, she said. For example, she said the coalition will be advocating for legislation that would protect some immigrants from deportation by redefining misdemeanors to mean crimes punishable by up to 364 days in prison, rather than 365 days.

For individuals in Rhode Island on green cards, a conviction on many misdemeanor charges can carry a potential prison sentence of up to one year, and people might be subject to detention and deportation under a federal law that addresses crimes with a sentence of one year or more, according to the ACLU of Rhode Island. The proposed legislation would decrease the maximum possible misdemeanor by one day to ensure that those consequences don’t flow from a misdemeanor offense.

Betancur said the state Senate passed that legislation last year, but it died in the House of Representatives.

Jennifer L. Wood, executive director of the Rhode Island Center for Justice, said rumors and misinformation are spreading, so the coalition has compiled a website packed with verified information and translated into various languages.

The website includes a “know your rights” card that people can show if they’re stopped by an immigration officer. And the site emphasizes the importance of having a “family preparedness plan” in case parents are separated from their children.

Wood too said she is not aware of any ICE raids in Rhode Island since Trump’s inauguration. But, she added, the expectation is that there will be immigration enforcement activity. “Giving calm, verified information about how to address this is what people really need to know, rather than fear mongering,” she said.

Wood said the center is providing information to education and medical institutions as they face questions about the people they serve. “People in school and medical settings previously felt some layer of protection because of ICE policy around these sensitive places like schools and medical facilities,” she said.

Now, the Trump administration is throwing out those policies that had limited where immigration officers can make arrests. But Wood said federal and state law remain in place prohibiting education and medical institutions from sharing information about their patients and students, she said. For example, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act – HIPPA – still protects sensitive health information, she said.

“We are reinforcing what doctors and educators already know — that they have duty of confidentiality to their patients and students and their families under both state and federal law. That is really a bedrock principle.”

Material from a previous Globe story was used in this report. This story was updated to include comments from Josh Estrella and Jennifer L. Wood.