Blue State Targets ICE Agents With Discriminatory Bill

Rhode Island Democrats are pushing a new bill that would block local police departments from hiring certain ICE agents, ramping up the state’s resistance to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

The proposal, dubbed the ICE OUT Act, would bar Rhode Island law enforcement agencies from employing anyone hired as a sworn officer by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on or after Jan. 20, 2025. Supporters say it’s about trust and standards. Critics call it political discrimination dressed up as “reform” at a time when recruiting is already a struggle.

“A law enforcement agency… shall not employ any individual who was hired as a sworn officer of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency on or after January 20, 2025,” the bill reads.

The companion bills in the Rhode Island House and Senate would amend the state’s Law Enforcement Officers’ Due Process Accountability and Transparency Act to add the restriction. The policy would take effect in October 2026 and would not apply to officers already hired out of ICE’s ranks.

The bill’s top sponsor in the House, Democratic state Rep. Karen Alzate of Pawtucket, said during a recent hearing that the policy would help bolster public-police relationships in Rhode Island, according to the Providence Journal.

A representative of the Rhode Island Women’s Bar Association, which supports the measure, also cited concerns about allegedly “relaxed hiring standards” under Trump-era Department of Homeland Security practices, the Providence Journal reported.

Police officials, meanwhile, warned during testimony on a package of Democratic-backed policing proposals — including the ICE OUT Act — that more restrictions could further dent officer recruitment, according to the Fall River Reporter.

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The ICE OUT Act is not the only measure aimed at limiting federal immigration enforcement in the Ocean State. Another bill, introduced by state Rep. Joshua Giraldo, D-Central Falls, would prohibit ICE from being within 200 feet of a polling place. Giraldo said speculation about federal immigration enforcement near polls can be perceived as intimidation, arguing that when such concerns arise, “particularly in the current climate; immigrant communities hear a message that is aimed at intimidation.”

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Providence has already moved in a similar direction. A January executive order from Mayor Brett Smiley restricts DHS officers from city-owned spaces including parking lots, schools, parks and government buildings.

“Providence has the responsibility to manage such property in a manner that ensures public trust, access and delivery of essential city services for all residents,” the mayor’s order read in part.

Fox News Digital reached out to Gov. Dan McKee for indications as to whether he would sign the ICE OUT Act if it reaches his desk, and to DHS for comment.

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