Democratic lawmakers in Connecticut are asking a chief judge of the state’s highest court to consider prohibiting arrests without a judicial warrant in or near state courthouses.
“Courthouses are being used as mouse traps, not as the centers for justice that they should be,” reads a letter addressed to Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice Raheem Mullins on Sept. 3.
The letter, which was signed by 21 state senators, comes after unmarked and unidentified U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents stormed into a Stamford courthouse on Aug. 11 and arrested two men who were inside.
The arrests sparked a wave of public outcry and criticism from residents of Stamford, Norwalk, and neighboring communities who rallied against the arrests.
Connecticut law doesn't currently prohibit federal immigration officers from accessing courts and other public spaces, but the highest courts in some states including New York and Oregon have issued orders prohibiting some arrests without a judicial warrant in or near state courthouses.
“You have the same authority to issue a similar order, do you not?” the letter reads. “It is reprehensible that people who are seeking the benefits of their constitutional rights are
apprehended by masked and unidentified ICE agents.”
In Stamford, federal officers clad in military-style vests and face masks pulled up to the courthouse in unmarked vehicles on Aug. 11, went into a bathroom, and eventually took two immigrant men into custody. Photos and videos from bystanders show parts of the arrest unfolding.
Rhonda Hebert, a spokesperson for the Connecticut Judicial Branch, previously responded to Connecticut Public’s questions about the incident with a written statement.
In the statement, Hebert referred to restrictions put in place by the Trust Act, a state law that limits cooperation between state and local law enforcement and ICE.
“The Judicial Branch adheres to the Trust Act,” Hebert said. “Under the act, we are not to prevent or assist ICE in the apprehension of individuals in the courthouse.”
Lawmakers also asked the top court to consider limiting information related to the identities of litigants on the court’s short calendar docket. It appears that federal immigration officers have used the online postings to identify potential undocumented immigrants, according to the letter.
Lawmakers also asked for witnesses and litigants to be given the option of participating in court proceedings remotely and to require federal agents to register with security before they can enter a courthouse.
Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-CT), who signed the letter, said he hopes Chief Justice Mullins will adopt a plan and look at best practices around the country to the rights of people here, as well as to protect due process rights of anyone who has a case pending in Connecticut courts.
“It seems that ICE has selected courthouses as a place to set up to seize people coming to court and I think that's potentially dangerous, because the state has its own legitimate function at courthouses that should not be interfered with,” Looney said.
A federal policy previously prohibited immigration arrests inside courts, churches, schools and some other sensitive areas. President Donald Trump's administration reversed the directive in January, releasing new guidelines that permit ICE officers to conduct civil immigration enforcement actions in courthouses when they credibly believe an intended target is present.
