Michael Ramos-Lynch '09: Gov. Carcieri's new immigration order: one step closer to a police state
Issue date: 4/14/08 Section: Columns
On March 27, Gov. Donald Carcieri '65 signed an executive order to address undocumented immigration in Rhode Island. This order will negatively impact all Rhode Islanders.
The new policy relies upon racial profiling, turns state police officers into federal agents and uses terminology that describes Rhode Island public school students born to undocumented immigrant parents in America as a "tremendous strain" on the state despite their equal status as full U.S. citizens.
In a letter delivered to Carcieri on March 31, immigrant rights groups including Immigrants United, We Can Stop the Hate Rhode Island, the Hispanic Ministerial Association and the Univocal Legislative Minority Advisory Coalition called the order "the biggest attack on the rights of immigrants in Rhode Island in at least a generation." Their frustration is understandable. The order contains six provisions almost all of which will harm Rhode Island and its citizens.
Among the provisions, the Department of Administration will have to use a computer program called "E-Verify" to confirm that Rhode Island executive branch employees are legal immigrants or citizens. Companies that do business with the state will be required to use the program as well.
The order also creates a "Memorandum of Agreement" between United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and state police. The agreement will give state police officers (who will have received ICE training) the ability to search federal databases and process immigrants through the federal Wyatt Detention Center.
Many leaders in Rhode Island have said that the order does not address the real problems currently confronting the state. According to the Providence Journal, Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts '78 stated, "We have a major budget problem. We have an economy in recession. We need to find solutions to those problems, but the governor's executive order is not a solution."
Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, was quoted in the Providence Journal as saying that the governor's executive order "has nothing to do with whether anyone is legal or illegal - his order is going to affect everyone based on their national origin, color of their skin and their accent and it's very unfortunate."
Roberts and Brown are right. The negative effects of Carcieri's order are far reaching - it will only serve to further violate the human rights of undocumented immigrants. These immigrants will likely not report crimes committed against them or crimes that they witness because they will rightly fear persecution by state police with ICE training. Crime rates in Rhode Island will probably increase as a result.
Rhode Island also stands to lose business partners because many companies will be unwilling to use the "E-Verify" program to confirm that their employees are properly documented. Perhaps the most offensive aspect of the ordeal, however, is Carcieri's defense of the order.
According to the Providence Journal, Carcieri stated that he supported those who pursue the American dream through legal means. However, he justifies the order by arguing that undocumented immigrants are putting a "tremendous strain upon our public schools, hospitals, state and local human-services organizations and law enforcement agencies." Carcieri callously ignores the welfare of the children of undocumented immigrants who are born here.
It is hard to see how these children can ever pursue their American dream if their parents are deported. I cannot support policies that deport the parents of young U.S. citizens who are legally enrolled in school and pursuing an education in order to become responsible, law-abiding and productive members of society.
Carcieri repeatedly referred to himself as "a grandson of immigrants" in defending his order at a press conference, the Providence Journal reported. However, no matter Carcieri's background, he now lives a life of wealth and privilege - a life starkly different from the lives of the immigrants his order targets.
Carcieri does not struggle with the problems that affect so many immigrants in this state and country, and it is therefore entirely inappropriate for him to seek credibility by referencing the struggles of his grandparents.
In order to truly help Rhode Island and to safeguard U.S. citizens' pursuit of the American dream, we must not support the governor's order. Instead, we should join those leaders who have already voiced their opposition to these policies.
Even a staunch opponent of undocumented immigration should be able to recognize that turning state police into federal agents and requiring businesses to utilize an error-prone computer program will lead to increased crime rates, human rights abuses and continued difficulties for an already struggling economy. For the benefit of Rhode Island, this order must be stopped.
Michael Ramos-Lynch '09 joins in chanting, "¡Un Pueblo Unido Jamas sera Vencido!"
The new policy relies upon racial profiling, turns state police officers into federal agents and uses terminology that describes Rhode Island public school students born to undocumented immigrant parents in America as a "tremendous strain" on the state despite their equal status as full U.S. citizens.
In a letter delivered to Carcieri on March 31, immigrant rights groups including Immigrants United, We Can Stop the Hate Rhode Island, the Hispanic Ministerial Association and the Univocal Legislative Minority Advisory Coalition called the order "the biggest attack on the rights of immigrants in Rhode Island in at least a generation." Their frustration is understandable. The order contains six provisions almost all of which will harm Rhode Island and its citizens.
Among the provisions, the Department of Administration will have to use a computer program called "E-Verify" to confirm that Rhode Island executive branch employees are legal immigrants or citizens. Companies that do business with the state will be required to use the program as well.
The order also creates a "Memorandum of Agreement" between United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and state police. The agreement will give state police officers (who will have received ICE training) the ability to search federal databases and process immigrants through the federal Wyatt Detention Center.
Many leaders in Rhode Island have said that the order does not address the real problems currently confronting the state. According to the Providence Journal, Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts '78 stated, "We have a major budget problem. We have an economy in recession. We need to find solutions to those problems, but the governor's executive order is not a solution."
Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, was quoted in the Providence Journal as saying that the governor's executive order "has nothing to do with whether anyone is legal or illegal - his order is going to affect everyone based on their national origin, color of their skin and their accent and it's very unfortunate."
Roberts and Brown are right. The negative effects of Carcieri's order are far reaching - it will only serve to further violate the human rights of undocumented immigrants. These immigrants will likely not report crimes committed against them or crimes that they witness because they will rightly fear persecution by state police with ICE training. Crime rates in Rhode Island will probably increase as a result.
Rhode Island also stands to lose business partners because many companies will be unwilling to use the "E-Verify" program to confirm that their employees are properly documented. Perhaps the most offensive aspect of the ordeal, however, is Carcieri's defense of the order.
According to the Providence Journal, Carcieri stated that he supported those who pursue the American dream through legal means. However, he justifies the order by arguing that undocumented immigrants are putting a "tremendous strain upon our public schools, hospitals, state and local human-services organizations and law enforcement agencies." Carcieri callously ignores the welfare of the children of undocumented immigrants who are born here.
It is hard to see how these children can ever pursue their American dream if their parents are deported. I cannot support policies that deport the parents of young U.S. citizens who are legally enrolled in school and pursuing an education in order to become responsible, law-abiding and productive members of society.
Carcieri repeatedly referred to himself as "a grandson of immigrants" in defending his order at a press conference, the Providence Journal reported. However, no matter Carcieri's background, he now lives a life of wealth and privilege - a life starkly different from the lives of the immigrants his order targets.
Carcieri does not struggle with the problems that affect so many immigrants in this state and country, and it is therefore entirely inappropriate for him to seek credibility by referencing the struggles of his grandparents.
In order to truly help Rhode Island and to safeguard U.S. citizens' pursuit of the American dream, we must not support the governor's order. Instead, we should join those leaders who have already voiced their opposition to these policies.
Even a staunch opponent of undocumented immigration should be able to recognize that turning state police into federal agents and requiring businesses to utilize an error-prone computer program will lead to increased crime rates, human rights abuses and continued difficulties for an already struggling economy. For the benefit of Rhode Island, this order must be stopped.
Michael Ramos-Lynch '09 joins in chanting, "¡Un Pueblo Unido Jamas sera Vencido!"