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S2278
2026 -- S 2278
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LC003831
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- DETENTION FOR FEDERAL
CIVIL IMMIGRATION VIOLATIONS
Introduced By:
Senators Acosta, Quezada, Mack, Vargas, Kallman, Euer, Lauria, Gu,
Valverde, and Urso
Date Introduced:
January 23, 2026
Referred To:
Senate Judiciary
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
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SECTION 1. Title 42 of the General Laws entitled "STATE AFFAIRS AND
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GOVERNMENT" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter:
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CHAPTER 169
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DETENTION FOR FEDERAL CIVIL IMMIGRATION VIOLATIONS
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42-169-1. Short title.
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This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Detention for Federal Civil
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Immigration Violations”.
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42-169-2. Prohibition on agreements to detain individuals for federal civil
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immigration violations.
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(a) No state or municipal government official or body, or instrumentality or agency thereof,
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may enter into, renew, or otherwise agree, to be a party to any contract or agreement, that is or will
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be used to detain individuals for federal civil immigration violations including, but not limited to,
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any intergovernmental services agreements to detain individuals for federal civil immigration
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violations or any lease or other agreement, that facilitates the use of real property belonging to the
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public body, or instrumentality or agency thereof, to detain and relocate individuals for federal civil
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immigration violations.
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(b) A state or municipal governmental official or body, or instrumentality or agency
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thereof, that is party to any existing agreement, that is or will be used to detain individuals for
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federal civil immigration violations, shall exercise the termination provision of the agreement as
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applied to its use for detaining individuals for federal civil immigration violations no later than July
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1, 2026.
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42-169-3. Severability.
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If any clause, sentence, paragraph, section, or part of this chapter shall be adjudged by any
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court of competent jurisdiction to be unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, that judgment shall not
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affect, impair, or invalidate the remainder of this chapter, but shall be confined in its operation to
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the clause, sentence, paragraph, section, or part directly involved in the controversy in which that
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judgment shall have been rendered.
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SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- DETENTION FOR FEDERAL
CIVIL IMMIGRATION VIOLATIONS
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This act would prohibit state and municipal officials or body from entering into and
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renewing any agreements that will be used to detain individuals for federal civil immigration
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violations. It would also prohibit state and local leaders from leasing their public real estate for use
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as an immigration detention facility.
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This act would take effect upon passage.
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