Panel tries to put R.I. immigrants at ease
PAWTUCKET — Community leaders and immigration attorneys gathered at Capeverdean American Community Development on Saturday afternoon to answer the questions and assuage the fears of immigrants living in Pawtucket.
The forum and panel discussion came in response to fears stoked by the Trump Administration's stances on immigration.
“We all know that immigration has been a hot topic here in the U.S., so we want this session to be about giving your information,” said Joao Goncalves, of Capeverdean American Community.
“For over 150 years, Pawtucket has been the landing place for families seeking refuge and a better life for themselves and their children. Pawtucket continues to welcome all who contribute and strengthen our fabric.”
—Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien
For the first hour, Mayor Donald Grebien and Police Chief Paul King spoke about the city's policies and answered questions, with Ineida Rocha translating in Creole. Attorney Susan Pires, vice president of the Rhode Island Cape Verdean Heritage Subcommittee board, then held a panel discussion with immigration lawyers Deborah Gonzalez, Adelsa Mendes, Rafaela Serrano and Maiza Silva.
Grebien opened by stating, “For over 150 years, Pawtucket has been the landing place for families seeking refuge and a better life for themselves and their children.”
He went on to say that immigrants built Pawtucket from the ground up during the Industrial Revolution.
“Pawtucket continues to welcome all who contribute and strengthen our fabric,” the mayor said.
Grebien added that there has been no need to designate Pawtucket as a sanctuary city, and he hopes that there aren't changes in state and federal law that would make it necessary.
King, who has been on the police force for 35 years, explained how the law does and doesn't affect immigrants.
“If you are a criminal and you commit a robbery, assault or deal drugs, I will use every resource we have to put you in jail,” he said. “If you are a victim, we do not ask if you are legal or illegal; we want to protect you, and I will use every resource to protect you and bring the person who committed that crime to justice.”
Police will run criminals through the Interstate Identification Index and if they are wanted somewhere else, an immigration violation may show up, King explained. But he said that when police take people to state court, they're only brought in on the crime for which they were arrested in Pawtucket.
In addition, Pawtucket Police officers are trained not to ask the immigration status of any victim or reporting party, he said.
The police chief also noted, “If you get a ticket on the street and you go to court, we are not checking any immigration status, and we want you to understand that we are just there to make sure people are following the rules of the street.”
David Norton, who narrowly lost the September primary election for Rep. David Coughlin's seat, asked Grebien and King what they're doing to discourage a bill in the state legislature that regulates transmittal of information on immigration status, which Norton called an embarrassment. Coughlin is one of the co-sponsors of that legislation, House Bill 5093.
While alluding to his support of Rep. Shelby Maldonado's opposition bill, Grebien said he tries to not get so involved in the state level, and that bills often don't come to fruition. The mayor added that if Coughlin introduces a bill he doesn't agree with, he tends to not go out and protest.
HB 5093, which North Providence Rep. Arthur Corvese introduced, says that state and local government entities cannot prohibit another such body from sending information on a person's immigration status to the Department of Homeland Security.
The bill aims to prevent sanctuary cities, and allows law enforcement agencies to “securely transport an alien” to a federal facility in the state.
Maldonado's bill (HB 5515) bars law enforcement agencies from providing information on inmates' incarceration to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and it prohibits the arrest of a person solely on the basis of an immigration detainer.
Speaking at the forum, Pawtucket City Councilor Sandra Cano wanted to ensure that police, firefighters and other municipal employees understand that being undocumented does not make a person a criminal.
Asking what the Pawtucket Police Department is doing to increase diversity in its ranks, Carlos Martins commented, “I've lived in the city now for about 20 years and I don't see more than a handful of police officers who kind of look like me.”
Grebien responded that he sat down with the NAACP and Sam Bell, state coordinator for the Progressive Democrats of America, and that there have been changes to the exam.
King had noted earlier in the forum, “We are making several efforts for the police department to become more reflective of the community that it serves, and one way for us to do that is to build relationships with you so your sons and daughters will join the police department and make us a better department.”
The police department is trying to reach out to anybody that wants them to visit, he said.
During the panel discussion, the immigration lawyers encouraged attendees not to give out more information than necessary.
Deborah Gonzalez, director of the Immigration Law Clinic at the Roger Williams University School of Law, said that “it's important that when we're talking to the police or immigration, we're not doing their job for them.”