Last Wednesday, October 15, federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents stormed the Optimo Car Wash on Dixwell Avenue in Hamden. Mid-morning, eight people had been detained, including both employees and customers.

At 10:23 a.m., I witnessed dozens of tactical gear-clad agents as they held eight of our neighbors in vehicles on Pine Rock Avenue, a stone’s throw from Eli Whitney Technical High School and Southern Connecticut State University. Some of our neighbors were parents of young children who were still in school, unaware that mom or dad would not be there when school was dismissed. How is this ok?

This was not law enforcement done responsibly; it was just another example of a show of force from an administration that seeks to pit neighbors against neighbors in a calculated and continued effort to divide the American public and consolidate power.

I don’t dispute that Homeland Security and ICE have the authority to enforce immigration law, but authority without compassion erodes legitimacy. The Hamden raid was not targeting dangerous criminals or fugitives. It targeted our neighbors who were washing cars to earn a paycheck, trying to make ends meet and provide for their loved ones.

Similar ICE raids have been reported in New Britain, Southington and Newington in recent months. Each time, ICE has acted unilaterally, disregarding the work of local leaders who strive to balance enforcement with compassion. We do not want our neighborhoods turned into staging grounds for immigration crackdowns aimed to stroke the right-wing base. When federal agents act as if our communities are the battlefield, they undermine the very democratic values they claim to protect.

ICE raids don’t happen in a vacuum. Raids lead to community fear and fear keeps people from reporting crimes or cooperating with police. How can local police department build trust when residents worry that any knock on the door might be ICE in disguise? Effective law enforcement relies on relationships; heavy-handed raids by masked law enforcement agents destroy them.

ICE must coordinate with local governments when operations could affect families or children. Schools and social services must have emergency protocols to identify and assist minors whose parents are suddenly detained. And above all, our elected officials should reaffirm that Connecticut stands for dignity, due process, and decency.

At a press conference following the raid, State Sen. Jorge Cabrera said, “Give people a path to citizenship. That’s what American’s support. But don’t arrest hardworking, taxpaying immigrants.” Gallup’s July 2025 data supports Cabrera’s statement. According to Gallup, “support for allowing undocumented immigrants to become U.S. citizens has risen to 78%, up from 70% last year.”

After a couple of days, the story is beginning to fade on local news stations, but for the families torn apart, the trauma will last far longer. We are overwhelmed with story after story, and too many of us have become numb to the callousness of the Trump administration. We can’t allow this to become the new normal.

More than three quarters of us agree that a pathway to citizenship is the answer; more of us must believe that no child should come home from school to find their parents gone without a trace.

Christopher Piscitelli lives in Hamden.