Lawmakers: R.I. governor to target illegal immigrants

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Gov. Don Carcieri plans to sign an executive order Thursday forcing prison officials and state police to identify illegal immigrants in state custody and requiring that state agencies take other steps to penalize immigration violators, a lawmaker said Wednesday.

Carcieri's office did not immediately release details of the order, but the governor's spokeswoman, Barbara Trainor, said it would cover "several bases."

A written statement from Carcieri's office said there is a growing number of illegal immigrants, and the federal government is not taking action. It said the Republican governor will also endorse legislation that has been introduced in the Democratic-dominated General Assembly that will accomplish the same goal.

Among other steps, Carcieri will require the state Department of Corrections and state police to identify and report illegal immigrants in their custody, said Rep. Joseph Trillo, who said he has discussed the proposal with Carcieri's staff. Once state law enforcement identifies illegal immigrants, they can alert federal immigration authorities to begin deportation proceedings.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections declined to comment on the plan. State Police Maj. Steven O'Donnell said he had not been briefed on the subject, although state police officials will attend a news conference that Carcieri has scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

Carcieri has also been considering proposals that would affect employers.

A Carcieri staffer recently told Rep. Jon Brien that the governor planned to sign an executive order forcing state agencies and contractors to verify the legal status of their workers, Brien said. The Democratic lawmaker had asked Carcieri to support a bill requiring private employers to do the same.

"By cracking down on the employer, you're basically saying if you want to work in Rhode Island, that's fine," Brien said. "But you have to do it legally."

Brien's proposal is one among many introduced by Rhode Island lawmakers this year that deal with illegal immigration. One would make it a crime for state workers to issue state ID cards to illegal immigrants; kick illegal immigrants off public assistance programs; make it illegal to transport or harbor illegal immigrants; and require law enforcement to notify federal authorities any time they arrest a suspected illegal immigrant.

Carcieri has already proposed cutting immigrant children, be they legal or illegal, from a state-subsidized health care plan. He has also drawn fire from some immigrants rights groups for cutting translators from the state payroll.

His office said a recent report showed anywhere from 20,000 to 40,000 illegal immigrants live in the Ocean State. Carcieri has said in the past that the state, in the midst of a $561 million budget crisis, can't afford and shouldn't have to pay for people who break the law.