PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — Providence Mayor Brett Smiley signed an executive order that prohibits Civil Immigration Enforcement on city property, unless ICE agents have a valid judicial warrant.
Smiley signed into order that no city-owned property, including garages, parking lots, or buildings, will be used as a staging area, processing location, operations base, or any other support for ICE activity.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley signed an executive order that prohibits Civil Immigration Enforcement on city property, unless ICE agents have a valid judicial warrant on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (WJAR)
City leaders will identify city-owned property that could potentially be used for these purposes, and ensure all areas have clear signage within 30 days of signing the order. Signage would indicate the property is owned by the city, and is not to be used for ICE enforcement.
“If the federal government has a reason to believe that somebody has committed a crime, and they’re here unlawfully they know what to do,” said Smiley. “They go to court, they get a judge to sign a warrant and the judge would be happy to do so if that person committed a serious crime. If they present us with a warrant signed by a judge we will honor it. We honor it today, we honored it yesterday, we will honor it tomorrow as a result of this executive order, that has not changed,” he said.
Mayor Brett Smiley signs an executive order bars ICE activities on city properties. (WJAR){ }
Smiley said public spaces are for supporting community, not terrorizing it.
“There are kids in Providence who are not going to school, there are people in Providence not going to work for fear of enforcement actions like this,” he said.
Those on the other side of the aisle said these restrictions could jeopardize federal funding for the state.
“Federal funding must not, cannot, and will not be given blindly to cities that are defying federal law,” said Chairman of Narragansett Republican Party Anthony D’Ellena.
Chairman of Narragansett Republican Party, Anthony D’Ellena. (WJAR)
President Donald Trump announced a Feb. 1 deadline to cut federal funding to sanctuary cities that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, and Providence is on that list.
“If they want federal funding, they must comply with federal law and that is with ICE, because they’re federal law officers,” said D’Ellena.
Smiley said the executive order reaffirms the city’s stance on providing for the public safety of city residents, while not interfering with the lawful conduct of civil immigration enforcement.
“My responsibility is to them, not to anybody in Washington, D.C.,” said Smiley.
Smiley was also questioned about how the executive order would be enforced.
“All of the right general orders are in place, and I trust the training and judgment of our police officers to understand how to de-escalate a situation, that their obligation is to protect the community and that means every member of the community, including undocumented members, and they will intervene to the best of their ability in a situation like that,” he said.
Smiley said he expects to sign more executive orders this year, as the city continues to evolve.
National Headline
