Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

Sen. Juan Pichardo, D-Providence, said he sees empty houses when he walks through the West End of Providence. "When I walk the neighborhood," he said, "I see two or three foreclosed homes on every street."

A similar pattern of shuttered homes can be seen in Providence's South Side and Olneyville.

Hundreds of immigrant families have left Rhode Island's urban communities driven by fear of deportation and difficulty getting jobs, said Juan Garcia, a community organizer at St. Teresa's Church in Olneyville. Garcia said some have moved to South Carolina, North Carolina and western states. Others have moved across the border to Massachusetts, which has opted to integrate immigrants and ensure they receive social services under Democratic Governor Deval Patrick.

Saying illegal immigrants were costing Rhode Island too much money and that the federal government had reneged on its responsibility to enforce immigration law, Republican Governor Carcieri signed an executive order in March to crack down on undocumented immigrants. The order empowered the state police and corrections officers to work more closely with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to identify and deport illegal immigrants. It also requires state agencies to verify the identity of workers.

"Many families have had to leave," Garcia said. "Many of these families drive without licenses and when the state police started stopping people earlier this year and bringing them to court, people got scared. Also the economic situation in the state is grave. The cost of food and gasoline and everything is going up. Many of these people earn just $6 an hour, so all of this has created a situation where they cannot maintain their lives here."

State Rep. Richard W. Singleton, D-Cumberland, an outspoken opponent of illegal immigration, said he is pleased about the effect the executive order.

"I don't think the executive order was signed in order to force people to leave the state, although that could very well be a consequence of it," Singleton said. "If so, I say that's great. Congratulations to the governor, because we are gaining something here in Rhode Island if it's forcing some people to leave."

He said he was not concerned about the potential impact on the economy, as many illegal immigrants work as janitors, landscapers, roofers, house cleaners, dishwashers and other low-paying jobs.

School officials point out they will not have firm enrollment numbers until the school year is under way. However, some districts are already preparing for a change in enrollment.

In Woonsocket, kindergarten registrations are down 50 percent, from 80 last year to about 40 so far this year, according to the school administration office. Roughly one-fourth of Woonsocket students are Hispanic.

In contrast, in Cranston, the state's third largest school district, enrollment numbers are holding steady, according to Assistant Supt. Peter Nero, at 10,615 students so far. This time last year, enrollment was 10,657, Nero said. About 12 percent of Cranston students are Hispanic.