Why Did Federal Agents Raid an Immigration Lawyer's Office in Providence Yesterday?

Matt Vespa | January 24, 2025 6:30 AM

We have some palace intrigue, albeit locally. Federal agents raided the law offices of a judge who is also a notable immigration attorney. We have no idea why the offices of Joseph Molina Flynn were raided. Federal officials say they were executing a warrant but don’t say much from there. Flynn is a municipal judge in nearby Central Falls (via WJAR 10):

Holy shlit. FBI and DHS just raided a big immigration lawyer in Rhode Island. 👀pic.twitter.com/JMOtmIUA9g
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 23, 2025

Federal agents marched boxes of files out of a Providence immigration lawyer’s office Thursday afternoon, hours after their raid inside an office building on Dorrance Street began.
NBC 10 News observed agents from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the IRS go in and out of the office of Joseph Molina Flynn throughout the day.
The FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office in Rhode Island would not say what the raid is focused on, only that it is court authorized.
It would appear the raid was in the works before Donald Trump became president and began his crack down on illegal immigration.

Flynn has since resigned his judgeship (via WPRI):

Less than 20 hours apart: 🤣

This isn’t 2017 anymore. pic.twitter.com/S9i37Cygdg
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) January 23, 2025

Central Falls municipal judge Joseph Molina Flynn abruptly resigned Thursday shortly after FBI agents raided his law offices in downtown Providence.
Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera confirmed the resignation, calling the raid “deeply concerning.” Rivera appointed Molina Flynn when she became mayor in 2021. Molina Flynn oversaw the city’s traffic calendar.
“As the Central Falls community knows, transparency and accountability are priorities of mine,” Rivera said. “In an effort to uphold the integrity and focus of the municipal court, Judge Molina Flynn has officially resigned his position.”
[…]
An FBI spokesperson confirmed federal agents had served a court-authorized search warrant on an office building on Dorrance Street in Providence, but she declined to comment on what they were seeking.
[…]
The investigation into Molina Flynn started before President Donald Trump took office and is unrelated to his immigration-related executive orders, according to two people with direct knowledge about the investigation who would only speak on the condition of anonymity.
They said federal agents are looking at Molina Flynn over allegations that he defrauded people seeking representation on immigration-related matters. He had not been charged as of Thursday afternoon.’