More than a hundred immigrant advocates wearing white stopped traffic in front of the Abraham A. Ribicoff U.S. Courthouse in Hartford Wednesday afternoon. Their message to federal immigration officials: ‘Get out and stay out of Connecticut.’
“We are angry, we are sad, and we are frustrated that ICE has been terrorizing our communities and kidnapping our neighbors,” said Hillary Desideraggio, an organizer with Hands Off CT, a collective of pro-immigrant organizations in Connecticut.
The gathering comes amid increased reports of federal immigration enforcement activity in cities like Hartford, New Haven, and Bridgeport from local advocacy groups.
On the morning of the gathering, Make the Road CT announced reported ICE presence outside of a state courthouse on Golden Hill Street in Bridgeport.
The State of Connecticut has put protections in place for its immigrant communities.
The CT Judicial Branch launched a remote hearings webpage to allow immigrants to take part in court hearings without risking potential ICE arrest outside courthouses. Lawmakers also passed legislation that established protected areas and prohibits law enforcement officers from wearing masks while on duty.
However, Desideraggio said the state’s measures aren’t working.
“Connecticut passed one of the strongest bills in the nation to curb ICE and ICE is just blatantly disregarding them,” Desideraggio said.
She cited a CT Mirror quote from an ICE agent who said, “Tell them to arrest me. I dare you. Tell them. Who’s going to arrest me?” when a member of the public told the agent that Connecticut law doesn’t allow officers to wear masks.
In a written statement, an ICE spokesperson said, “This law [regarding masks] from sanctuary politicians in Connecticut is irresponsible, reckless, and dangerous.”
“Sanctuary politicians attempting to ban our federal law enforcement from wearing masks is despicable and a flagrant attempt to endanger our officers,” the ICE spokesperson said. “To be crystal clear: we will not abide by this unconstitutional ban,” to protect ICE officers from “real-world threats.”
“They don’t care,” Desideraggio said, “but we care and this is our community, and we’re here to fight for it.”
Song, skit, and a moment of silence
The crowd first gathered at Pulaski Mall next to the courthouse. Organizers told demonstrators to stay off of the federal building property and to stay with a buddy throughout the action.
Singing “ICE Out of CT” to the sound of drums, they then walked onto Main Street, shutting down traffic for nearly two hours.
Sam Pudlin is a Hartford resident who took part in the demonstration.
“I think a lot of people are unaware that this federal building is where all of those arrests go through,” Pudlin said. “[ICE agents] bring [detained individuals] back here before they're taken to detention, and we really want to draw people's attention to that.”
Pudlin said he wants to see more action from Connecticut lawmakers and law enforcement, so ICE agents know that they need to follow state law.
“I would like to see them going after the masked agents and the secret police walking our streets,” Pudlin said.
Demonstrators sang various anti-ICE songs, with lyrics like “abolish ICE right now, right now” to the tune of “The Saints Go Marchin’ In” by Louis Armstrong.
They also watched a skit that organizers and community members performed about Palantir Technologies, an AI and data company, whose work the Trump administration has expanded across government agencies, according to the New York Times.
Skit performers asked demonstrators to sign a letter to Connecticut’s members of Congress who received contributions from employees of Palantir, asking them to reject those contributions.
Afterwards, demonstrators had moments of silence as people read out the names of those who have died in ICE encounters and custody, including Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, both from Minneapolis.
‘Making space to hold the heartbreak’
Katalina Teresa was tearing up at the thought of the uptick in ICE activity across the state after the demonstration ended.
“Because behind every name, every quote, unquote number,” Teresa said, “there's human beings, there's lives, there's families, there's friends, there's loved ones… So, yeah, [I’m] heartbroken.”
Looking to the future, she said she encourages people to connect with their local, immigrant-led organizations.
“If you're feeling hopeless, get involved locally,” Teresa said. “There's a lot of folks making space to hold the heartbreak and the hopelessness, but then also not getting stuck there.”
Teresa said she hopes Connecticut elected officials stand by their efforts to protect immigrant communities as the state of Connecticut and New Haven navigate the lawsuit from the U.S. Justice Department on their ‘sanctuary policies.’
Organizers passed out postcards to demonstrators, so they could write personalized messages, asking Connecticut’s U.S. Senators to defund and abolish ICE.
“I’m just really hoping that they remember they respond to the people,” Teresa said, “and hoping they have a backbone.”
