State House panel weighs restrictions on federal immigration enforcement in Rhode Island

By: Christopher Shea

Outlets: Rhode Island Current

Published: March 5, 2026

Words: 1,167

Last Updated: 3 days, 5 hours ago

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People are afraid to go to court.

That was the message Rep. José Batista, a Providence Democrat and criminal defense attorney, told members of the House Committee on Judiciary Wednesday afternoon when introducing his bill that would prohibit civil arrests at the state’s courthouses without a signed judicial warrant.

“If you’re going to arrest someone, there has to be a legal process,” he told the committee, of which he is a member. “It can’t be …

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