Workers arrested in sweep of R.I. courts

Dozens seized in immigration raids

On Tuesday, Rhode Island State Police Superintendent Brendan Doherty spoke to a panel advising Governor Don Carcieri (bottom right) on immigration enforcement. (STEVEN SENNE/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

PROVIDENCE - Federal immigration agents arrested dozens of contracted maintenance workers Tuesday in raids on six Rhode Island courthouses.

A spokesman for the Rhode Island judiciary said the raids occurred simultaneously at about 5 p.m. and targeted workers for two cleaning and maintenance contractors hired by the state.

Craig Berke said the court system had forwarded information about the workers, who were not state employees, to State Police and to federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement in early June.

"The investigation was initiated by the judiciary," Berke said.

A spokeswoman for ICE confirmed the raids, although she did not say where they occurred or how many people were detained.

The raids sparked an angry protest outside ICE headquarters in Providence on Tuesday night.

Juan Garcia, an activist, said the raids, which occurred in courthouses in Providence, Cranston, Warwick, Newport, and South Kingstown, were an outgrowth of an executive order by Governor Don Carcieri cracking down on illegal immigration.

That order, signed in March, forces the state to verify the immigration status of all new government hires, as well as the employees of any company that does business with the state. It also directs the Rhode Island State Police and prison and parole officials to more aggressively find and deport illegal immigrants.

"All companies receiving money from the state will review the legal status of people," Garcia told The Providence Journal.