Providence City Council Chief of Staff June Rose was arrested on March 13 during a protest in support of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate and permanent resident who was recently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Khalil was a prominent negotiator during Columbia’s Gaza Solidarity Encampment last spring.
The March 13 protest, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, took place at Trump Tower in New York City. Rose was arrested alongside over 90 other activists and released on the same evening, according to a press release from the City Council.
Rose declined The Herald’s request for comment.
“This is a perilous moment for our democracy and taking action is not something to be scorned,” Council President Rachel Miller wrote in a statement. “June was using vacation time yesterday and chose to use their time to defend constitutional freedoms.”
Rose’s arrest has sparked criticism from members of the Rhode Island Republican Party, with the Rhode Island GOP Chairman Joe Powers calling for their resignation.
“Elected officials and their staff should be focused on serving the people, not taking part in lawless, childish stunts that embarrass Rhode Island and erode public trust,” Powers said in a press release on Monday.
Councilman James Taylor (Ward 8) also called for Rose to step down, stating his disappointment in Rose’s decision to attend the protest during the “busiest time of the year for the Council” in a statement to WPRI.
Majority Whip and Councilor Miguel Sanchez (Ward 6) expressed “full support” for Rose on social media, citing his pride in their “fight for a better world.”
Rose was also detained in July 2024 at a separate protest in Washington, D.C. calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
