The city of Providence isn't that keen on checking people's papers, according to an AP story in the Boston Herald:
Providence has asked to opt out of a federal program that allows police to check fingerprints of all people arrested to verify their immigration status.
Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare said in a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that the Secure Communities program will create fear in the immigrant community and mistrust of police.
It's not really surprising that the city wants to avoid a bad image among immigrants. While it's not technically "dying," Providence County (which includes the city of the same name) has a stagnant population — which means that a labor shortage may limit economic growth. Census data show that Providence County suffered a net loss of 4,939 people due to domestic migration in 2008-09. (In other words, that more American citizens wanted out than in.)
The county would have lost people overall if not for its net gain of 2,741 from international migration. Providence, like a lot of aging cities in the Snow Belt, is a more popular destination among immigrants than among US natives, and local government probably doesn't see any benefit in enforcing a KEEP OUT message.
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