Scott Kemp has been observing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Danbury long enough that he recently greeted an agent he recognized.
But this time, he noticed a camera pointed at him, appearing to record the interaction.
“As we were talking, I could see that camera, focused straight on me,” Kemp said. “It wasn't a small camera; it was kind of a big, commercial type.”
Kemp and other local immigrant rights advocates say this could be the first time ICE agents and other federal law enforcement officers have brought along a camera crew to record ICE enforcement operations in Connecticut. Similar filming efforts have taken place across the country as the agency aims to publicize its detention work.
Carolina Bortolleto, a member of Greater Danbury Area Unites for Immigrants, said she heard from activists documenting ICE activity, with the camera crew including someone operating a boom microphone. They appeared to follow the ICE officers, some of whom were masked, around as they rounded up several people across the city.
When contacted by Connecticut Public, an ICE spokesperson confirmed they were in Danbury. But the agency did not answer questions about the camera crew, or disclose the names of those arrested.
ICE said in a statement that it was conducting a “targeted immigration enforcement operation” in Danbury on June 4 and that many of those who were arrested had been recently released from jail “by sanctuary politicians who refused to honor ICE’s detainers.”
Several of those arrested have charges that range from sexual assault against a minor, child abuse and kidnapping, to assault on police officers, the agency said.
ICE has had camera crews accompany them on enforcement operations in other states, promoting its deportation efforts on social media. Some of the videos are similar in style to footage from the reality TV show "COPS," and some include embedded far-right media outlets and influencers. But according to The Washington Post, ICE has used misleading footage, “muddying the reality of events in viral clips.”
The Danbury cameraman was recorded by members of Greater Danbury Area Unites for Immigrants, standing near a crowd by a state courthouse. A person is crying off camera, mentioning to ICE agents the person they apprehended had a heart condition. The agents soon get into their cars and leave, the cameraman pointing the camera at the crowd as the agents drive away.
According to Bortolleto, the camera crew was there for one reason.
“They were clearly trying to capture content, they were trying to create entertainment from people's pain,” Bortolleto said.
Kemp, a member of Greater Danbury Area Unites for Immigrants, said he normally witnesses around six to eight agents when ICE apprehends someone. But, this time, Kemp said he witnessed around a dozen ICE agents apprehending several people on separate occasions that day. He said several agents were masked, which violates Connecticut law but has been contested in court by the federal government.
Gov. Ned Lamont indicated Monday the state may not have much recourse.
“I’m not sure that we can arrest federal officials, but we can let them know how strongly we feel about this,” Lamont said.
A Lamont spokesperson, Carolyn Vaulman, later said the governor’s remarks referred to how difficult it is to identify federal officials. But if they were identified and sufficient evidence existed following an incident, the state could charge and prosecute federal officials who violated state law, Vaulman said.
Kemp said in the past he’s seen individual ICE officers recording their operations with their phones.
The cameras earlier this month did not discourage him from recording ICE agents, but Kemp said he is concerned what the federal government will do with the video.
“When you see that commercial one, you're wondering where it's going to go, the feeling of, ‘OK, is this going to reach an audience, and they start doxxing and all that type of thing,” Kemp said.
Last year, death threats were made against State Rep. Corey Paris, a Democrat who represents Stamford, after he had warned residents about ICE activity in an Instagram post. ICE and Libs of TikTok, a far-right X account, claimed Paris impeded ICE enforcement operations, yet Paris did not share specific locations of ICE agents.
Connecticut State Rep. Matt Blumenthal, a Democrat who represents Stamford, criticized the presence of the Danbury camera crew, characterizing it as unprofessional and said it could actually be a legal liability to ICE. Blumenthal co-sponsored a recently passed law that allows Connecticut residents to sue ICE agents among other actions.
“If I were them, I’m not sure that I’d want to do that because it may create evidence that could be used against them in the future if they violate state law or federal law in the process of their actions,” Blumenthal said.
