Providence City Council Ordinance Committee Meeting on CPRA Amendments - October 6, 2025
Providence City Council Ordinance Committee Meeting on CPRA Amendments - October 6, 2025
The Ordinance Committee convened at 5:52 PM on October 6, 2025, to discuss and vote on amendments to the Community Police Relations Act (CPRA). The amendments aim to strengthen prohibitions on Providence Police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, expand protected spaces, limit data collection, and establish an organizational private right of action. After a presentation by Chief of Staff June Rose, remarks from Councilman Royus, and extensive public testimony, the committee voted to advance the amendments to the full City Council.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Dozens of community members, representatives from organizations (including Prism, Party for Socialism and Liberation, Rhode Island Center for Justice, Amor, and others), and legal experts testified overwhelmingly in support of the amendments. Speakers shared personal stories of fear, ICE surveillance, and documented violations.
- Key statistics cited include: nearly 72% of detained undocumented immigrants under the Trump administration have no criminal convictions (Councilman Royus); over 500 deportation orders in Rhode Island since the beginning of the year (Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice); and a 180% increase in detainments in Rhode Island in 2025 (Pamela Montez).
- Many speakers called for additional measures such as virtual court hearings, stronger accountability mechanisms, and an outright ban on ICE presence. One speaker, Alan Waters, opposed the amendments, arguing that illegal immigration strains city finances and that police should enforce immigration law.
Discussion Items
- Chief of Staff June Rose outlined five categories of amendments: (1) expanding types of prohibited contact; (2) clarifying that only signed judicial warrants authorize cooperation; (3) designating schools, courts, and non-public police areas as protected spaces; (4) limiting collection and disclosure of sensitive data from surveillance technologies; and (5) allowing organizational standing to file civil actions for violations.
- Councilman Royus made a motion to vote the amendments out of committee, stressing the urgency of protecting vulnerable residents.
- Council members Vargas, Peterson, Harris, and Sanchez expressed strong support, emphasizing community trust and the need for enforcement. Councilman Pro Tempore Picharo noted the importance of local control and accountability.
- Chairman Espinal stated he agreed with 99.9% of the amendments but abstained because he needed clarification on one provision. He affirmed the amendments would go to the full council.
Key Outcomes
- The committee voted 3-0-2 (three in favor, none opposed, two abstentions) to move the amended CPRA to the full City Council for a first passage vote on October 16, 2025, followed by a second passage in November 2025.
- The mayor will then decide whether to sign or veto the amendments.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everyone, and welcome to committee now. Welcome to you all. Thank you for being here. Uh, the time is 552. Um tonight, we are here to discuss amendment made to the PCPRA. Uh and this amendment, this changes will clearly uh define the prohibited cooperation by the Providence Police with the Federal Immigration Authority, enhancing enforcement and accountability mechanism, this signating specific public building and sensitive spaces, prohibiting discrimination based on immigration status. So this encompasses our host to uh changes that we made to the PCPRA. Uh, and to go through all those changes, we have invited our guests. Uh so madam clerk, uh please call the role. Chairman Espinal. Present. Vice Chairwoman Peterson present. Councilwoman Harris, present. Councilman Vargas. Present. Councilor Royus. Present. You have five present. You have a quorum. Thank you, Madam President. Uh Madam Clerk. Um, I'll enter to the motion to enter into the records of May. So moved. Maybe Councilman Peterson. Uh, second by councilman Bargas, all in favor, aye. Aye. Oppose. The Ice Habit. And I also have letters of testimony, which is exhibit a to the motion to enter into the records of exhibit A. So move. Second. Made by Councilor Royce, second by Councilman Vargas, one in favor, aye. Oppose. The Ice Habit. Again, thank you so much. And to go through this amendment that we have made. Uh I have invited our chief of staff, uh, June Rose to please uh take us through. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, committee. Over the past many months, this council has taken this work incredibly seriously, with so many counselors, including each one in this room deeply engaged in the efforts. Before I get into the amendments, I want to give a huge thank you to our outside partners, Rhode Island AS ACLU, PRISM, DORKIS, Fuerza Liberal, Amore, Center for Justice, Local Progress, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Shauna Curland, Miriam Weisenbaum, and so many others who have been beyond instrumental in putting this together. The solidarity and collaboration demonstrated in this policy-making process from Bay and for the community is a shining light in this very dark time. Tonight, what the committee has in front of it are amendments to section 18 and a half-4 of the city's code of ordinances, what was originally known as the Community Safety Act, later called the Community Police Relations Act or CPRA. These amendments are intended to better protect Providence residents by expanding prohibition on voluntary Providence Police Department cooperation in federal immigration enforcement. In Providence, such cooperation is unre already unlawful. In 2017, the CSA or CPRA barred the police department from collaborating with federal immigration authorities, absent a judicial warrant. Section H3 of the CPRA states Providence police are not permitted to comply with requests by other agencies to support or assist in operations conducted solely for the purpose of enforcing federal civil immigration law, including but not limited to requests to establish traffic perimeters related solely to immigration. Enforcement.01 mirrors this language. In order to ensure the spirit of the law is maintained, city counselors have argued that the CPRA must be strengthened and clarified to clearly bar resources and personnel from ever being used to facilitate ICE operations and to establish accountability measures for if they are.
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