Central Falls creating new response committee amid ICE raids
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Districts across the state are taking a closer look at their safety policies after recent federal changes that allow immigration officers into school buildings.
It’s unclear whether U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has or plans to target any local schools, but that hasn’t stopped rumors from spreading like wildfire communities like Newport, Providence and even on Block Island.
So far, none of the rumors have proven to be true.
However, there are many concerns, especially in Central Falls, where the latest U.S. Census data found that nearly 69% of residents who weren’t born in the country are undocumented.
The Central Falls School Board of Trustees recently updated its policy to create an Immigration Enforcement Response Committee.
That committee will be the point of contact for employees if ICE agents show up at school, and their job will be to ensure that they’re legally allowed to be there.
Members of that committee were supposed to be nominated on Thursday, but the meeting was canceled due to inclement weather.
Providence City Councilor Shelley Peterson, who represents Ward 14, confirmed that she has heard concerns from undocumented residents in her district, but wouldn’t say much more.
“This is not about politics,” Peterson said during Thursday night’s Providence City Council meeting. “This is about humanity.”
“Our allies have told us that the best way to help is not shine light on the issue, but I trust that my community is doing what they need to always protect our most vulnerable,” she continued.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley told 12 News he believes the capital city has the right policies in place to do just that.
“We don’t collect immigration status or nation of origin for any of our students,” Smiley said. “We don’t store that data, and so there’s no data to share with ICE.”
“Unless there is an ICE detention warrant signed by a judge, then Providence Public Schools personnel will not honor that warrant,” he added.
Though residents have expressed concerns for their safety, those who support the new policy argue that communities should be working with ICE agents, especially since they’re only targeting violent criminals.
“We need to focus on these people who are in our communities who have committed crimes in their countries and are now here and have criminal histories, and those who are here committing crimes currently, and get them deported and out of here as quick as possible,” former Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson said.
Rhode Island Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green and Attorney General Peter Neronha recently released guidance to schools regarding the federal immigration policy. Their main message is that it’s the schools’ duty to educate everyone and protect their privacy regardless of their immigration status.