Rhode Island Democrats are proposing a ban on the hiring of ICE agents in the Trump era
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Rhode Island Democrats have introduced a bill that would bar police departments from hiring ICE agents brought in during President Donald Trump’s second term, fueling the state’s backlash against federal immigration enforcement.
Immigration enforcement agents, including those within ICE, have come under fire in recent months from Democratic lawmakers and governors who oppose the tactics involved in Trump’s deportation program, which the president said was necessary because of the open effects of the Biden era.
In Rhode Island, bills in the House and Senate called the ICE OUT Act would amend the Law Enforcement Professionals Due Process and Transparency Act to add a section stating the new limitation.
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Protesters with a large anti-ICE sign stand outside the Henry Bishop Whipple Federal Building as protesters continue to gather to protest the ongoing immigration enforcement effort called Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jan. 18, 2026. (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)
“A law enforcement agency…shall not employ any person employed as a sworn member of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency on or after January 20, 2025,” the bill reads.
The policy will take effect in October 2026 and will not affect any officers already employed in ICE positions.
The bill’s top sponsor in the House, Rep. Democratic state Rep. Karen Alzate of Pawtucket said during a recent hearing that the policy would help strengthen police-community relations in Rhode Island, according to the Providence Journal.
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The head of the Rhode Island Women’s Bar Association, which supports the bill, also told the newspaper that the “relaxed hiring standards” of the Trump-era DHS will not be enough in the Ocean State.
Meanwhile, Rhode Island police officials warned in recent state legislative testimony about a broad group of Democrat-led reform laws, including the ICE OUT Act, that police recruitment would be affected, according to the Fall River Reporter.
One such bill from Rep. Joshua Giraldo, D-Central Falls, would prohibit ICE from being within 200 feet of a polling place. During the session, Giraldo said that when considering whether to stop immigration legislation near the vote, “especially in the current situation; immigrant communities are hearing a message that is intended to intimidate.”
In this document provided by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, foreign nationals were arrested during a targeted operation. (DHS)
On-duty DHS officials are already barred from entering the state capital under a January executive order from Providence Mayor Brett Smiley that restricts parking, schools, parks and government buildings.
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“[Providence] he is responsible for managing those buildings in a way that ensures public trust, access and the delivery of important city services to all citizens,” reads the mayor’s order.
Fox News Digital reached out to Gov. Dan McKee to indicate whether he will sign the ICE OUT Act if it reaches his desk, and to DHS for comment.
