Residents from Stamford, Norwalk and surrounding communities rallied Thursday evening to speak out against recent arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers (ICE).
The protest organized by the group Stamford Norwalk United with Immigrants (SNUI), unfolded outside of the Stamford Superior Courthouse, where two immigrant workers were arrested by ICE officers Monday morning. The workers, who were the victims of an armed robbery, were at the courthouse for a follow up appointment.
That’s when witnesses say ICE officers arrested the men without presenting warrants or announcing a reason for their arrests.
Marcella Branca, who is with SNUI, was at the rally. Branca said she volunteered to witness ICE detentions in Stamford. She braced herself by watching previous incidents, hoping she would know what to do.
Then she saw ICE detaining someone at the state courthouse on August 11.
“None of the words I wanted to say came out," Branca said. My brain struggled to react to the abomination happening in front of me.”
Mike Tejpal, a witness, told CT Public he was outside when he saw a Dodge Charger, Nissan Maxima and Ford Explorer pull up to the entrance of the courthouse. Tejpal said men dressed in military-style vests got out of the vehicles and moved quickly into the building. He said most of the men were wearing masks and dark baseball caps.
“It was like a storming of the courthouse,” Tejpal said.
Tejpal is a member of a local group that documents immigration arrests in the vicinity of the building. He said one of the men under arrest was crying and spitting after being handcuffed.
Video provided to CT Public shows the men being escorted out of the courthouse and into vehicles outside.
Protest organizers say Thursday’s rally was held to address what they called a horrific event that represents an escalation of months of operations by ICE and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at the Stamford courthouse.
CT Public’s request for comment from ICE and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security went unanswered.
Max Cisneros, another volunteer with SNUI, who rallied Thursday, said their message is straightforward.
“Our demands are clear and simple, ICE out of Connecticut now, no local collaboration with ice from local officials now end ice terror in populations that are already vulnerable,” Cisneros said.
In a statement released to CT Public, organizers with SNUI said they are calling for policy changes following “ICE’s increasingly violent and inhumane actions.”
The group said some of those actions include stalking, destroying state property, breaking car windows and the use of pepper spray which they say has affected other people visiting the court.
SNUI said the “ violent and inhumane actions have transformed community fear into urgent action. “
Democratic State Rep. Matt Blumenthal who attended the event, said the state could potentially limit access to federal officials at state courthouses.
Connecticut Public's Jim Haddadin contributed to this report.
