Cops accused of ‘impermissibly’ helping ICE are finally facing the music over their ‘worst of the worst’ arrest

Police officers in Rhode Island’s capital city are finally facing consequences after being accused of improperly helping federal immigration agents. They have come under scrutiny from a civilian oversight body for their alleged involvement in an immigration enforcement operation. The Providence External Review Authority, which is known as PERA, found that the city’s police acted in violation of a local ordinance that restricts cooperation with federal immigration agents.

The findings, which were released in a report, assert that the Providence police offered improper assistance to ICE agents during a July operation involving the pursuit of a man suspected of fentanyl trafficking. This incident occurred at a time of heightened immigration enforcement under the current administration, which has been in office for seven months.

PERA’s investigation concluded that the Providence police provided unlawful support to the federal agents. The report, which was obtained by a local news outlet called WLNE, stated that the police “impermissibly” assisted ICE by being present at the scene of the operation. The civilian board specified several actions that constituted this assistance, including creating a perimeter, gathering information, and generally aiding the federal agents’ efforts to apprehend the individual.

Police are helping ICE, despite it being against the law

The report also singled out one specific sergeant who reportedly helped ICE confirm the location of the man by speaking with a landlord. The core of the issue lies in a 2017 city ordinance signed by the former Mayor Jorge Elorza. The law, known as the Providence Community-Police Relations Act, was designed to prohibit local police from assisting in federal operations conducted solely to enforce civil immigration law.

The ordinance provides clear examples of prohibited actions, such as establishing traffic perimeters specifically for immigration enforcement purposes, giving federal agents access to police facilities without a warrant, or providing documentation on inmates. PERA’s findings indicate that the actions of the Providence police during the July operation directly contradicted the purpose and the letter of this local law.

The incident unfolded on July 13 when federal agents were in pursuit of the individual, who crashed his vehicle into a parked car. Providence police responded to the scene, and their stated purpose was to ensure public safety at the accident site. However, a report from the Boston Globe detailed video evidence from the scene that suggested the police were more involved than they claimed.

The video reportedly showed officers aiding ICE by communicating with a landlord and reviewing photographs of a figure seen inside a building. In one particularly telling exchange, an officer reportedly told a federal agent, “I want your people grabbing him; we will help you,” a statement that appeared to confirm their cooperative role in the operation.

We’ve seen ICE operations cause the death of those fleeing, but not being able to trust the police to follow the law is tough. However, we know that laws don’t mean much to Trump and his administration when he can just declare national emergencies.

The individual at the center of the incident was identified as Ivan Rene Mendoza-Meza, a Honduran national. According to a statement from ICE, Mendoza-Meza was considered a worst of the worst candidate and was described as a documented MS-13 gang member who went by the name El Negro. He had a prior charge for fentanyl trafficking in Rhode Island from the previous year, in 2023, and was also facing indictments in two other instances. The pursuit and subsequent crash were part of a larger effort to apprehend this individual.

Following the release of the PERA report, the Providence Police Department issued a statement to WLNE, acknowledging that they had reviewed the findings. The department confirmed that it was in the process of developing new training materials for its officers, as recommended by the civilian board.