Rhode Island Immigration & Visa Guide

As of 2026, 19 states plus the District of Columbia allow residents to obtain a driver's license regardless of immigration status: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington — plus DC. The license type varies: some states issue a standard non-REAL ID-compliant license, others a 'drive-only' license or 'driving privilege card' that may not be used as federal identification.

A sanctuary state is one whose laws or executive policy limit how state and local law enforcement cooperate with federal immigration enforcement (ICE) — for example, by prohibiting honor of ICE detainer requests without a judicial warrant, banning 287(g) jail agreements, or barring police from inquiring about immigration status during routine encounters. The opposite — a mandatory-cooperation state — is one that has passed an anti-sanctuary law requiring local cooperation with ICE.

About 24 states plus DC allow undocumented students who graduated from a state high school to pay in-state tuition at public colleges and universities, typically under an 'AB 540'-style statute. A subset of those states also extend state financial aid (Cal Grant, RISE Act, NY DREAM Act, etc.) to undocumented students. Texas had a DREAM Act since 2001 but a 2025 federal court ruling struck it down; Florida repealed its DACA in-state rate in 2025 (SB 1718). Always check the current state-level page for the latest status.

Federal law generally bars undocumented adults from federally funded Medicaid except for Emergency Medicaid. A handful of states use 100% state dollars to cover broader categories: California (Medi-Cal for all ages, 2024), Illinois (HBI/HBIA, partially paused 2025), Oregon (Healthier Oregon, all ages 2023), New York (Essential Plan expansion 2024), Washington (Apple Health for Immigrants 2024 — limited). About 20 additional states cover children and pregnant residents regardless of status under CHIPRA-style options. Every state must provide Emergency Medicaid for life-threatening conditions.

Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act lets ICE deputize state and local law enforcement officers to perform certain federal immigration enforcement functions. Agreements come in two flavors: 'Jail Enforcement Model' (officers screen people booked into jail) and 'Warrant Service Officer' (officers serve ICE administrative warrants). Florida and Texas have the most extensive networks; sanctuary states generally have none. The state pages on this site flag whether a state has full 287(g) cooperation, limited cooperation, or a sanctuary policy.