Prohibits ICE employees, agents or officials from being within two hundred feet (200 ft) of any polling place during voting.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would make it illegal for employees, agents, or officials of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — the federal agency responsible for immigration enforcement — to come within 200 feet of any polling place while voting is taking place. The 200-foot distance is similar to existing "buffer zone" rules that many states already use to keep campaigners and certain other individuals away from polling locations on Election Day.

The main goal of the bill is to ensure that voters do not feel intimidated or afraid to cast their ballots due to the presence of federal immigration enforcement officers nearby. Supporters of such measures argue that even the visible presence of ICE agents near a polling place could discourage eligible voters — particularly immigrants who are lawful permanent residents, naturalized citizens, or members of mixed-status households — from showing up to vote, even though those individuals have every legal right to do so.

This bill would primarily affect ICE personnel operating in Rhode Island, who would be required to stay away from polling locations during election hours. It would also affect Rhode Island voters, particularly communities with large immigrant populations, by potentially changing the atmosphere around polling places. It is worth noting that only U.S. citizens are legally permitted to vote in federal and state elections, and this bill does not change those eligibility rules.

Currently, the bill has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee and has been recommended to be held for further study, meaning it has not yet advanced to a full vote in the Rhode Island legislature.