Hispanic advisers resign to protest R.I. governor

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—The majority of Gov. Don Carcieri's Commission on Hispanic Affairs resigned Thursday to protest his executive order cracking down on illegal immigrants and they accused Carcieri of creating a climate of a fear and anxiety in Rhode Island.

Commission secretary Elida Araujo-Picard hand-delivered the letter of resignation to Carcieri's office Thursday on behalf of herself and seven other panel members, she said. Four of the panel's 12 members will remain.

"Your statements and appearances in the media have been instruments in creating fear, anxiety, and segregation in a community where citizens should be living in peace and harmony with each other," the letter to Carcieri said.

Carcieri received the letter and will replace the commissioners who quit, said his spokeswoman, Amy Kempe. She said Carcieri will not rescind the executive order.

"The Hispanic community will continue to have a voice in the Carcieri administration," Kempe said.

Members of the commission first threatened to quit after Carcieri signed an executive order in March forcing state police and prison officials to identify illegal immigrants for possible deportation. His order also requires the executive branch to use a federal database to check the immigration status of new hires.

His order launched an emotional immigration debate in tiny Rhode Island, a state whose closest international border is with Canada, some 200 miles to the north.

When he signed the order, Carcieri cited studies estimating there were 20,000 to 40,000 illegal immigrants in Rhode Island, or roughly 2 to 4 percent of the population. The state is facing massive budget deficits, and Carcieri blamed them for financially straining cities, towns and hospitals.

In the letter, the commissioners said Carcieri used "unreliable and selective data to affirm anti-immigrant sentiments and stereotypes throughout the state."

Vice chairwoman Jenny Rosario, who resigned, said Carcieri should have consulted with his Hispanic advisers before signing the order. She fears it will increase racial profiling by police and harm legal immigrants.

"We believe this is causing a stigma around the immigrant population, and we don't want to be part of it," Rosario said. She and the other commissioners who resigned are planning a Statehouse news conference Friday to discuss their decision.

Even those who stayed are upset with Carcieri's immigration crackdown, said the Rev. Eliseo Nogueras, a commissioner who decided against resigning.

"We all basically felt the same feeling, but we wanted to continue working because we feel like our people need representation," he said.

Two commissioners who resigned, Bruno Sukys and Magdalena Picot, have served on a separate advisory panel monitoring the implementation of Carcieri's executive order. Sukys previously said he planned to resign to protest a raid by immigration authorities. Picot could not be reached for comment.