Rhode Island Democrats have introduced legislation that would bar local police departments from hiring anyone who worked as an ICE agent during President Trump’s second term, Fox News reports.
The companion bills, dubbed the ICE OUT Act, were introduced in both the state House and Senate. They would amend Rhode Island’s Law Enforcement Officers’ Due Process Accountability and Transparency Act to prohibit any police department from employing “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 policy would take effect in October 2026. Officers already hired from ICE’s ranks would not be affected.
The package also includes a bill from state Rep. Joshua Giraldo (D) that would ban ICE from operating within 200 feet of a polling place. Giraldo argued that the mere possibility of immigration enforcement near polling sites sends “a message aimed at intimidation” to immigrant communities.
Federal immigration agents are already barred from large swaths of Providence under a January executive order from Mayor Brett Smiley. That order restricted DHS officers from city parking lots, schools, parks, and government buildings.
Washington state saw a similar bill in January.
Another bill targeting immigration enforcement agents has been introduced in New Jersey, as the state’s General Assembly introduced legislation named after a profanity against ICE agents. The bill, called the “Fight Unlawful Conduct and Keep Individuals and Communities Empowered Act,” is also known as the “F-ICE Act.” It specifically “permits civil action for violations of [the] US Constitution related to immigration enforcement.”
