Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee said he will stand with Rhode Island residents here without legal status, even as they face heightened immigration enforcement by the Trump administration.
State police, however, will continue to work with federal law enforcement officials on criminal matters.
“We’re going to continue what we’re doing. If there [are] people who are violating or criminals that need to be [arrested], we work with [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] — our State Police does that right now,” McKee said. “But we’re not going to be profiling or helping to, you know, create problems that violate the Constitution and we’re going to make sure we stand by the people that live in the state.”
The governor spoke at The Public’s Radio studio Thursday during a taping of Political Roundtable.
The Trump administration has signaled it may investigate and prosecute local and state officials who do not enforce its approach to policing immigration.
McKee, a Democrat who was an early supporter of Joe Biden in 2020, said he thinks President Donald Trump should adopt the playbook of former President Ronald Reagan by supporting amnesty for those in the U.S. without legal status.
“They’re good people for our state,” McKee said. “Give them a path to citizenship.”
The governor said he spoke out during the presidential campaign with a warning about Trump and his policies.
“I was saying how much this was going to impact Rhode Island and the people who live in the state of Rhode Island,” he said.
McKee said his administration is reviewing the raft of executive orders signed by Trump after his inauguration on Tuesday.
“We’re already seeing early signs that there’s impact on our economy, there’s impact on immigration issues, on women’s health issues,” he said. “It’s going to impact people. For me as governor, I’ve got to stand up for the people who live in the state.”
In related news, R.I. Attorney General Peter Neronha joined with 19 other attorneys general in opposing Trump’s attempt to use an executive order to end birthright citizenship, a practice enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. A court has temporarily blocked Trump’s attempt.
