More than 100 people gathered inside the Statehouse Monday, to continue demonstrations against some of the policies proposed by President-elect Donald Trump. Organizers collected signatures on letters addressed to several of Rhode Island’s most powerful lawmakers.
“Basically calling on them to stand up and commit to using all the powers of our state to protect immigrant families, protect reproductive rights, and everything else that’s threatened by a Trump presidency,” said Irene Beauregard, an organizer for a group calling itself “Resist Hate RI.”
The coalition of progressive organizers, activist groups, and politicians is urging Governor Gina Raimondo, House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, and Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed to reject policies proposed during Trump’s presidential campaign
Rodrigo Pemental, an immigrant living without documentation, called for protection against mass deportations.
“We will make sure that our voices are heard by our elected officials,” said Pemental, adding that he came to the U.S. from Portugal before his first birthday. “They are elected to represent Rhode Island, a state that unequivocally includes our immigrant families and protects them.”
On the campaign trail, president-elect Donald Trump called for the deportation of some 11 million people lacking immigration paperwork. He’s since stepped back from that position, saying he will focus on 2-3 million undocumented immigrants, who he says have criminal backgrounds.
Similar protests have unfolded across the country, as Trump prepares to take over the Whitehouse.
Already at the municipal level, Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza is one of several mayors pledging to continue policies that require a criminal warrant before police will detain residents lacking immigration papers.
