More than a thousand people took to the streets in Danbury on Wednesday night to protest recent immigration arrests that have stunned the community.
Over the last week and a half, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has made more than 100 arrests across Connecticut, with more than half of them being in Danbury. The bulk of the arrests were made between Aug. 24 and 28.
Officials say ICE officers have made arrests at local businesses, on the streets, and even at school bus stops.
One of the people arrested at the grocery store CTown was Luis. He was shopping with his young son when he was apprehended by immigration officers.
A fellow rally-goer translated his story for him.
“When ICE came to him and took him, they took him while he was shopping,” she said. “He told them that he was in the car with his wife and his kid, and they told him that it was okay just to step out of the car. They didn’t give him any explanations. They did not ask any questions.”
Luis said he has no criminal record. He was brought to Hartford, then Massachusetts, and finally Colorado, before his lawyer threatened to sue the federal government. He was held for a week before being released.
Luis said he knew his story — which ends with him being brought back to his family in Connecticut — was rare.
‘I don’t know when ICE is coming’
Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves, who was undocumented until his 20s, said the fear he felt as a child is different from what his community is dealing with now.
“We feared deportation, but we didn’t fear brutality,” Alves said. “We feared the unknown of coming home one day; maybe somebody wasn’t going to be there, but I didn’t fear that my father was going to get tased on the ground in front of a daycare.”
Alves said his community has been terrified — not just by the immigration arrests, but by the uncertainty.
“I don’t know when ICE is coming. I don’t know when ICE is leaving. I don’t know who ICE arrested. I don’t know what ICE is doing because ICE doesn’t tell us what they are doing,” Alves said. “They don’t want to tell us; they want to scare us. But here’s what I know. I know we’re stronger together.”
Wednesday night’s rally was held to culminate “A Day Without an Immigrant,” during which more than 60 businesses in the city closed their doors in support of the city’s immigrant community.
Officials say ICE officers have made arrests at local businesses and on the street. Reports of arrests being made at school bus stops, as children watched from the windows, have been especially concerning to advocates.
White House Border Czar Tom Homan told CNN’s Dana Bash he wasn’t aware of the school bus stop arrests, but didn’t denounce them.
“Did somebody arrest somebody at a bus stop? I’m not aware of that,” Homan said on Sunday. “But ICE is out there to enforce the law against those who have been ordered removed by a federal judge. And especially if they’re a criminal or if they’re a national security threat, there’s no safe harbor for them in this country. We’ll go where we need to go.”
Advocates and officials, like U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, called the alleged school bus stop arrests an “insidious tactic.”
Homan said he would check with the Department of Homeland Security to see whether they happened. ICE is allowed to make arrests there; however, they are not allowed to make arrests in homes or private offices without a judicial warrant.
“When you are pulling parents away from school bus stops, when you are intentionally traumatizing kids, when you are targeting immigrants who are here legally, you aren’t here to support Danbury,” Murphy said. “You aren’t here to protect Danbury. You are here to traumatize Danbury, and we aren’t going to let them get away with that.”
Action vs. outrage
State and city officials have faced scrutiny from advocates over what they should — and can — do.
Connecticut’s Trust Act, which was updated during the past legislative session, limits local police cooperation with ICE. Another state law bans ICE agents from wearing masks; however, local officials, including Mayor Alves, have said it has “no teeth.”
Last week, Governor Ned Lamont left the podium mid-sentence after being repeatedly interrupted by advocates calling on him to do more to stop ICE activity in Danbury.
Wednesday night’s event did not have any crowd interruptions.
Juan Fonseca Tapia, co-founder of Danbury Unites for Immigrants, wants a fund to support the families of the people who have been arrested. He also wants Connecticut cities to end contracts with Flock, and for Attorney General William Tong to “hold accountable the kidnappers that are terrorizing our families.”
Lamont, Alves, and Murphy all said electing Democrats during the November midterms should be a priority to stop ICE. Alves is also the state Democratic Party chairman.
On Thursday, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal was scheduled to receive public testimony from Danbury officials and advocates about the ICE operation. Blumenthal is the Ranking Member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and has held several similar forums.
