Prohibits law enforcement agencies from hiring individuals who were hired as a sworn officer of the US Immigration and Customs enforcement Agency on or after January 20, 2025, and applies prospectively to an individual hired on or after October 1, 2026.

Plain-English Summary

This Rhode Island bill would prevent state and local law enforcement agencies in Rhode Island from hiring anyone who worked as a sworn (officially sworn-in) officer for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) starting on or after January 20, 2025. In other words, if someone became an ICE officer on or after that date, Rhode Island police departments and other law enforcement agencies would be barred from bringing that person on as an officer in the future.

The bill is written to apply going forward — specifically, it would take effect for any individual hired by a Rhode Island law enforcement agency on or after October 1, 2026. This means the restriction would not immediately affect anyone already working in Rhode Island law enforcement, but would apply to new hires made after that date. People who worked for ICE before January 20, 2025, would not be affected by this restriction.

The bill primarily affects two groups: individuals who have worked for ICE since January 20, 2025, and Rhode Island law enforcement agencies that are doing hiring. Those individuals would be ineligible for sworn law enforcement positions in Rhode Island, and agencies would need to screen for this when considering job applicants. The bill does not affect ICE operations themselves, as those are run by the federal government.

The bill has been introduced and sent to the Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee, where it will be reviewed before any further action is taken.