Associated Press - April 27, 2009 2:54 PM ET

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Providence College has blocked a campus speech by former Colorado congressman Tom Tancredo, a vocal opponent of illegal immigration.

The Roman Catholic college said in a statement Monday that the student group that planned to host Tancredo was not officially sanctioned.

It also said Tancredo's stance on illegal immigration "directly contrasts" with Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, a member of the college's Board of Trustees.

Tancredo briefly sought the Republican nomination for president but dropped out of the race in December 2007. His speech earliier this month at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was interrupted by a student protest.

Terry Gorman, founder of Rhode Islanders for Immigration Law Enforcement, said he had invited Tancredo to speak at his organization's headquarters in Pawtucket.

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