Rhode Island is a state that has always stood up for people who play by the rules. Chansareth Hong has done exactly that — a 50-year-old Providence resident whose family fled Cambodia and built a life here over decades. On August 5th, a federal judge had to step in and order his release from the Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls after he was held for 14 days without justification. A court had to force the government to explain itself. That should never happen to a longtime Rhode Island resident who showed up to a routine check-in.
This is happening right here in our state, at a facility in Central Falls. Wyatt is a privately operated detention center, and Rhode Island has real leverage over how it operates and who gets handed over to it. When our neighbors — people who have lived, worked, and raised families here — can be swept up and held for weeks until a judge intervenes, that's a failure our state can help fix. We should not be a willing partner in detaining people who belong in our communities.
I'm asking you to support state-level legislation that limits Rhode Island law enforcement cooperation with civil immigration detainers and establishes meaningful oversight of Wyatt Detention Facility's operations. Our state should not be complicit in detaining people like Chansareth Hong. Pass protections that keep Rhode Island from being used as a pipeline to federal immigration detention for people who have done nothing wrong.
