Rhode Island Sanctuary State Act (H 7249)

This legislation would have positively provided state-level protection to undocumented individuals in locations where they should feel safe.

In codifying a long-standing Department of Homeland Security memo which specifies that agents will not engage in immigration enforcement acts in certain “sensitive” locations like religious institutions, schools, and hospitals, this legislation would have positively provided state-level protection to undocumented individuals in locations where they should feel safe. We supported the bill, but noted that a few amendments would be appropriate to address possible separation-of-powers issues that could arise from the language. This bill unfortunately died in committee.