Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza joins several mayors nationwide in formally announcing no plans to change immigration policies in the face of a Donald Trump presidency.
The Republican president-elect promised to deport millions of undocumented immigrants while campaigning.
While Providence is not a “sanctuary city,” Elorza said police officers do not detain undocumented immigrants booked on civil charges for the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, or ICE. Providence does detain undocumented immigrants facing criminal charges.
“The city will continue its policy of processing them through our system, and not cooperating with ICE any more than is required under federal law,” said Elorza. “That’s what we’ve been doing up until this point, and that’s going to be our policy going forward.
Elorza said immigrant and minority communities fear for the future after Donald Trump is sworn in as president.
“Folks are concerned about what may happen January 20th, that makes me more convinced than ever that what we do here at the local level is more important than it’s ever been,” said Elorza.
Elorza pledged Monday to make weekly announcements of new initiatives aimed at supporting immigrants and racial and religious minorities. Providence officials plan to hold a community meeting Wednesday to answer concerns about immigration policy under the Trump administration, as well as other topics including the environment, women’s health, LGBTQ and minority rights.
