Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee gave the Trump administration the cold shoulder Tuesday, blowing off a Justice Department ultimatum to respond to a letter blasting the Ocean State’s “sanctuary” policies.
The Aug. 13 letter, signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi, accused Rhode Island of “engaging in sanctuary policies and practices that thwart federal immigration enforcement to the detriment of the interests of the United States.” Bondi warned, “This ends now,” and set a Tuesday deadline for McKee to pledge cooperation with ICE and dismantle barriers to Trump’s hardline immigration agenda.
McKee’s response? Thanks, but no thanks. “This generic, non-specific form letter lacks any meaningful detail and does not merit a response,” the governor said in a statement.
Attorney General Peter Neronha is also standing firm, refusing to play ball with Trump’s DOJ despite threats of penalties that could strip the state of federal funds or trigger criminal charges for obstruction.
But state Republicans pounced. Rhode Island GOP Chairman Joe Powers torched McKee’s defiance, saying the governor “chooses politics over the Constitution” and comparing his rock-bottom approval ratings to “Hunter Biden’s dating standards.”
Powers accused McKee of lying to Rhode Islanders about everything from the state’s $14 billion budget to crumbling infrastructure, charging that his sanctuary stance “puts politics over people.”
“President Reagan reminded us that a nation without borders is not a nation at all,” Powers said. “Our citizens deserve a governor who tells the truth, stands up for law and order, and puts Rhode Island first.”
For now, McKee isn’t budging — leaving Rhode Island squarely in the crosshairs of Trump’s Justice Department.
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