Providence distributes instructions for evading ICE capture
The city of Providence, Rhode Island, is collaborating with various left-wing activist groups to assist illegal immigrants in avoiding capture by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Providence City Council has initiated a mail campaign that will send instructional postcards to over 62,500 households,informing residents of their rights when confronted by ICE agents. These materials, which were created as a response to what council members describe as unconstitutional enforcement tactics by the federal government, include key advice such as not opening doors or answering questions from ICE officials.
The mailing initiative, costing approximately $17,000, is intended to empower immigrant communities amid what the council refers to as a climate of fear. The cards will also offer facts on legal resources and community assistance for those needing help against potential deportation.
the move has sparked controversy, with critics, including the Rhode Island Republican Party, alleging that the city council is misusing taxpayer funds to support illegal activity. They also argue that the initiative reflects broader tensions related to immigration policies and the treatment of federal officers, particularly during the current administration. Meanwhile, some city officials and proponents of the mail campaign characterizes it as a protective measure for residents facing threats from federal immigration enforcement.
City of Providence partners with activist groups to help illegal immigrants evade ICE capture
In partnership with more than a dozen left-wing activist groups, the “sanctuary city” of Providence, Rhode Island, is sending illegal immigrants instructions by mail on how to navigate Immigration and Customs Enforcement encounters and effectively evade capture.
According to a press release announcing the citywide direct-mail campaign, the all-Democrat Providence City Council created the postcard advisories in response to “the brutal and unconstitutional enforcement tactics currently being undertaken by the far-right federal administration.”
“By taking this unprecedented action to protect our immigrant communities, councilors are sending a clear message: every Providence resident has a right to lead a dignified life free from state-sponsored intimidation and terrorization,” the announcement said.
Once processed, the informational “Know Your Rights” flyers will be directly distributed via postal service to every household in Providence. Printing and postage reportedly cost $17,000 for the over 62,500 residences expected to receive the postcards.
The 6×11 cards consist of two sections. In the top portion, illegal immigrants are advised of actions to take if an ICE agent appears at their home. “DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR,” the instructions say. “DO NOT ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OR SIGN ANYTHING.”
The lower pocket-sized segment, which declares “I will not open the door for an ICE administrative warrant,” can be cut off, stored in a wallet, and presented to immigration officers. “If you are inside your home, slide it under the door or press it against a window,” the notice tells illegal immigrants.
Activist groups have distributed versions of the red card widely to illegal immigrants across the country since Trump’s return to office.
Residents are also told to report Providence Police Department (PPD) officers if they witness officers assisting federal immigration authorities without a court order. “It is against Providence Police policy to cooperate with ICE without a judicial warrant,” the guide says. If you see an officer violating this, REPORT THEIR NAME AND BADGE NUMBER to the city.”
Signed in 2017, the Community-Police Relations Act prohibits Providence police officers from aiding federal agencies in enforcing U.S. Civil Immigration Law. In late May, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley (D-RI) reaffirmed the city’s non-cooperation policy after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security designated it as a “sanctuary” jurisdiction that is deliberately obstructing federal deportation operations. “Providence will not proactively collaborate with ICE to provide information,” said Smiley.
DHS PUBLISHES LIST OF SANCTUARY JURISDICTIONS OBSTRUCTING IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT
The mailers at issue additionally list free-of-charge legal assistance resources, such as a 24/7 helpline operated by Dorcas International, which is sponsored in part by council-allocated funds, and the bilingual Deportation Defense Line of Rhode Island run by the Alliance to Mobilize Our Resistance, which alerts “trained responders” to suspected ICE presence in the region.
Dorcas International is Rhode Island’s largest, low-cost immigration legal services provider offering deportation defense. Its team of immigration law attorneys represents illegal immigrants facing removal proceedings in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. A recipient of government grant money from Providence since 2022, Dorcas International appears on the city’s social services list under “Social Mobility” and “Race Relations.”
AMOR, a defund-the-police nonprofit organization lobbying for legislative bans on such intragovernmental agreements, works to dismantle ICE contracts with detention centers. According to AMOR’s 2024 mid-year report, roughly 95% of its casework aids illegal immigrants who seek monetary help and administrative support. AMOR receives funding from several Democratic-aligned organizations, including the Tides Foundation, a major grantmaking entity on the activist Left.
HOW THE LEFT FUNDS THE LEGAL INDUSTRY SHIELDING MIGRANTS FROM DEPORTATION
Dorcas International and AMOR were both part of a pilot equity-based guaranteed income program that provided monthly “no-strings-attached” cash transfers to a targeted portion of Providence’s population, regardless of immigration status, with special preference allotted toward “people of color.” Among other organizations, Dorcas and AMOR offered application assistance for those seeking to receive these recurring payments totaling $990,000 over a year-and-a-half period.
In a statement, City Council President Rachel Miller said they worked collaboratively on the mailers with the listed local immigration advocacy organizations “in the face of fear and uncertainty that pervades our city’s immigrant communities due to the reckless cruelty of the Trump administration.”
DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said such rhetoric vilifying federal immigration officers is inciting violence against ICE agents.
“Council President Miller’s comments calling immigration enforcement ‘state-sponsored intimidation and terrorization’ are despicable,” McLaughlin told the Washington Examiner. “This kind of garbage has led to a more than 500% increase in assaults against our ICE law enforcement officers. Providence City Council is putting violent criminal aliens above the safety of their own constituents—it is shameful and embarrassing. President Trump and Secretary Noem are restoring the rule of law and putting the safety of Americans first.”
Meanwhile, the Republican Party of Rhode Island is accusing the city council of trying to raise taxes by 8% in order to cover the initiative’s costs. A bill, signed into law last week by Democratic Gov. Dan McKee, allows Providence to exceed the 4% tax levy cap for fiscal 2026 by up to double the state-mandated maximum.
“The optics are blinding: tax the people more, then use their hard-earned money to hand out lawbreaking instructions,” the Rhode Island GOP, which is calling for an investigation into the mass mailing effort, said in a press release. “Providence residents should be outraged and demand that every Council member involved refund the cost of these mailers—personally.”
The Providence City Council did not respond to an inquiry into whether the initiative was solely taxpayer-funded or financed through the various organizations cited as community partners.
On social media, the city council’s chief of staff, June Rose, promoted the campaign “[b]rought to you by…the movement.”
Rose, a prominent street-level activist organizer, has been racking up protest-related arrests over the past year. In March, Rose was arrested outside Trump Tower at a demonstration denouncing ICE’s detention of pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil. In July 2024, Rose was arrested in the U.S. Capitol building alongside anti-Israel activists protesting against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address before Congress.
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