Last Thursday, Providence City Council unanimously passed a resolution directing two city courts — the Providence Municipal Court and Probate Court — to accommodate requests for remote hearings “when feasible and consistent with due process protections.” The resolution also urged the Rhode Island Judiciary to do the same for courts statewide.
The resolution comes after growing reports of detainments by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents near courthouses nationwide. On Sept. 25, an individual was detained outside of the Rhode Island Superior Court on College Hill, The Herald previously reported.
Starting Nov. 1, the Municipal and Probate courts will take requests for virtual hearing accommodations.
“Residents must be able to attend court appointments without fear,” said Council President Rachel Miller during the City Council meeting presiding over the resolution.
Since July, the Rhode Island Deportation Defense Coalition has circulated a petition calling on the city and state to offer virtual hearings, trials and conferences at all courts “to protect people from ICE.” The Defense Coalition is composed of the Olneyville Neighborhood Association, the Party for Socialism and Liberation R.I. and the Alliance to Mobilize Our Resistance.
As of Monday evening, the petition has garnered over 1,900 signatures in support of its demands. The resolution was created in part due to this petition, according to a City Council press release.
The Defense Line, which is run by AMOR, has noticed an increase in detainments while patrolling outside local courthouses, according to Defense Line organizer Caroline Cordts ’28.
“Court hearings are public record, so (ICE) can see where and when certain people are going to be,” said Etta Robb ’26, another organizer with the Defense Line.
In May, the Department of Homeland Security wrote that arresting immigrants without permanent legal status in courthouses is “safer for law enforcement” because the individuals “have gone through security and been verified as unarmed.”
Celia Peña ’28, a student leader for Brown Dream Team, said courthouse detentions often take place even when people without permanent legal status attend hearings unrelated to their immigration status. The Dream Team is a student group that supports undocumented students, students with undocumented relatives, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients and others.
Virtual hearings, she said, would allow the judicial system to “actually operate effectively,” since individuals wouldn’t have to worry about their immigration status when exercising their right to due process.
Peña emphasized that virtual court hearings would also benefit anyone who needs remote accommodations for court.
Alexandra Kriss, the assistant state court administrator for the R.I. Supreme Court, wrote that during the COVID-19 pandemic, “some courts within the unified judiciary offered remote hearings, while others maintained in-person calendars with appropriate precautions.”
Kriss added that some types of hearings — including those regarding child support in Family Court — are primarily held virtually, but requests for virtual hearings are within the discretion of the presiding judges.
Anthony Vega, press secretary for the City of Providence, wrote that City Hall only oversees Housing Court, “which already provides for a remote option for attendees who cannot appear in person.” City Hall is separate from the City Council, which oversees the Municipal and Probate courts.
The unanimous vote passing the resolution was “a show of people power,” the PSL wrote in an Oct. 17 Instagram post. The post referenced the petition, as well as individuals who gave testimony in favor of virtual hearings at prior City Council meetings.
But the organization says progress must still be made. “City laws make a difference, but they can’t change fundamental injustices in the system,” the statement continued.
Annika Singh is The Herald’s tech chief and a metro editor from Singapore. She covers crime, justice and local politics, but mainly she stands in line for coffee and looks up answers every time she attempts a crossword.
