PROVIDENCE — The US Justice Department notified Rhode Island on Wednesday through a letter that it is opening an investigation into whether the state engaged in a pattern of discrimination based on race “or other protected aspects” of the Civil Rights Act.
The letter was first sent to state Attorney General Peter Neronha from Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general of the civil rights division of the Justice Department.
The letter said the federal investigation is based on information that the state “may be engaged in employment practices regarding its affirmative action program governing state government employment under state law that discriminate based on race, national origin, or other protected characteristics in violation of Title VII.”
This week’s letter is the latest in the Trump administration’s attacks on New England’s states and institutions. Since President Trump’s inauguration, the White House has slashed funding that has been essential to New England’s education, health care, and life sciences industries across the region.
Much of Trump’s fury has been directed at Ivy League institutions, including Harvard and Brown University, where the White House is threatening catastrophic cuts, and even going as far as signing a proclamation to suspend visas for new international students at Harvard. Gutting these universities could have ripple effects across the region’s economy, experts and industry leaders have warned.
The investigation into Rhode Island will look to determine whether the state “is engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination as set forth above,” Dhillon wrote in the letter.
It’s unclear which specific policies, programs, or agencies the DOJ is investigating. A spokesperson with the DOJ could not be reached for comment.
Tim Rondeau, Neronha’s spokesperson, said the office is still reviewing the letter, “as the subjects and focus of their investigation are unclear.”
Neronha’s office has not yet responded to the letter, Rondeau said.
Neronha told The Public’s Radio that he “didn’t pay it a whole lot of mind.”
“They can go investigate and if the investigation turns up anything, then we will address it,” Neronha told the NPR affiliate. “It could be something today, gone tomorrow.”
In a statement to the Globe, Governor Dan McKee’s spokesperson Olivia DaRocha said, “We have no reason to believe that there is an issue with our current hiring practices.”
In her letter, Dhillon said that Louis Whitsett, a senior trial attorney with DOJ’s employment litigation section, has been assigned to the investigation.
It’s unclear whether any other states received the same letter as Rhode Island.
In mid-May, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson received a letter from the Justice Department informing him the city was under investigation for the same reasons that Rhode Island is now. In the letter, which was also penned by Dhillon, the DOJ said the investigation was based on information suggesting that the mayor has made hiring decisions solely on the basis of race.
“In your remarks yesterday at the Apostolic Church of God in Woodlawn, you ‘highlight[ed] the number of Black officials in [your] administration,’” the letter dated May 19 said.
These investigations fit with the Trump administration’s realignment of how federal agencies view and fight discrimination. It’s also part of a larger effort to rebrand the Justice Department’s civil rights division.
In the past, the civil rights division has investigated claims of discrimination against people of color and minorities, as well as monitoring police departments, housing providers, and voting rights. These probes are not criminal investigations; they look for a pattern of discrimination and are usually settled through court-approved agreements.
In an interview with the Associated Press last month, Dhillon said she did not see the administration’s priorities as a shift.
“I would say that it’s our view that all racial discrimination is illegal in the United States. And I think it’s fair to say the prior administration only looked at that from a particular angle,” she said. “I think that we are taking a step back and taking a broader view, which is what is required under these statutes.”
This article has been updated to include additional information.
Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.