Rhode Island Residents Demand End to ICE Detentions at Wyatt Facility

Nearly every year since 2019, Rhode Island lawmakers have tried—and failed—to pass legislation targeting the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls. This maximum-security center, operated by a publicly owned nonprofit, holds detainees for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which remains its second largest client after the U.S. Marshals Service. Despite repeated efforts, no bill has yet succeeded in curbing or ending the facility’s role in immigrant detention.

This year’s legislative session features two sibling bills—House Bill 7436 and Senate Bill 2278—that would bar the state and municipalities from contracting with facilities that detain people for civil immigration violations. The only facility currently holding such contracts is the Wyatt. Both bills have drawn strong public support, evidenced by over 150 letters and emails submitted to judiciary committees, overwhelmingly favoring tighter regulation or outright prohibition of ICE detention at the facility.

The testimony comes from a diverse cross-section of Rhode Islanders. Lynn Gamwell urges lawmakers to reject “unfair and often inhumane treatment of immigrants” and to stand for justice and due process. Helen Grundman, daughter of an immigrant who fled Nazi persecution, calls the practice of locking up immigrants for civil violations shameful. Clinical psychologist James Brcak recounts how an armed ICE traffic stop near a Providence school traumatized students and staff, illustrating that ICE’s abuses extend beyond detention centers into the community itself.

Medical student Roopa Duvvi emphasizes the health risks detention poses to Rhode Island communities, while activist Rose Catania points out that the Wyatt is a financial drain on Central Falls, as it pays no property taxes and stifles economic development opportunities.

Senate testimony echoes these concerns. Yvette Nachmias-Baeu implores lawmakers to protect immigrants from ICE’s “complete lawlessness,” and Tatiana Rothchild highlights how the profit-driven detention model fuels violence, abuse, and human rights violations.

ICE’s return to the Wyatt in 2019 has meant a steady detainee population above 100, according to the facility’s latest board reports. The bills currently before the Rhode Island legislature seek to finally break this cycle of detention, community trauma, and unchecked federal overreach.

As Rhode Islanders make their voices heard, the question remains: will lawmakers finally act on the overwhelming public demand to end immigrant detention at the Wyatt? The stakes are high for human rights, community safety, and the future of justice in the state.