Trump’s mass deportation threat may not effect state
DANBURY — President Donald Trump’s threat to deport millions of illegal immigrants is causing alarm among some advocates — and some local politicians — but they’re skeptical of the reach it will have in Connecticut.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement next week will “begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States,” Trump said in a pair of tweets Monday night.
“They will be removed as fast as they come in,” he wrote.
Doubt over the actual policy behind Trump’s statement — coupled with amendments to the Trust Act passed during the latest General Assembly session that limit local law enforcement’s ability to work with ICE — leave many questioning its local impact.
“It’s a federal issue,” said state Rep. Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield.
An administration official said the effort would focus on the more than 1 million people who have been issued final deportation orders by federal judges, but remain at large in the U.S. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to explain the president’s tweets.
But following reports from U.S. officials Tuesday that the operation isn’t imminent and that ICE officials were unaware the president would tweet sensitive law enforcement plans, some advocates speculate it’s more part of his re-election campaign theater.
“It’s hard to know” said Camila Bortolleto, with CT Students for a Dream. “People should always be cautious, but this isn’t a reason for more fear.”
Bortolleto said it’s concerning for immigrant community rights, though, and builds on Trump’s history of anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric.
“It’s the same fear-mongering language,” she said.
Trump’s decision to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, a program former President Barack Obama created to protect immigrants illegally brought to into the United States as children, is before the Supreme Court now.
Connecticut and dozens of towns have sued the Trump administration over threats to withhold millions of dollars in policing grants to sanctuary cities.
Bortolleto, who is also a DACA beneficiary, said she has seen ICE become more brazen, including during an incident last July when a man was hit by a car while running from the agents outside state Superior Court in Danbury.
She said she has heard of more cases and of collaboration with local authorities, but not of raids at homes or workplaces.
Alok Bhatt, with the Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance, warns those raids could happen if this goes beyond a tweet and Trump executes the initiative.
“It sickens us that Trump would destroy peoples' lives and community stability for petty political points,” Bhatt said. “The community must now quickly and effectively prepare for any escalating enforcement actions.”
The alliance is a network of immigrant, faith, labor, youth, community, business and ally organizations that work to improve the lives of Connecticut’s immigrant community, including several in the Danbury area.
It was influential in passing amendments to the Trust Act that restrict the cooperation between local law enforcement agencies and ICE.
Bhatt said the Trust Act, or Senate Bill 992, “significantly diminishes the ability of ICE to exploit state/ local law enforcement to coordinate arrests.”
But he added “this does not preclude ICE from acting on its own.”
Connecticut’s Trust Act was passed in 2013 and prohibits local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal immigration officials, with seven exceptions.
It was established to create trust between local law enforcement officials and undocumented immigrants so residents of that community would be more willing to come forward, without fear of deportation, to report crimes or cooperate with police.
Republicans in the state Senate and House of Representatives opposed the changes this session, which removed all but two of the exceptions — those on a federal terrorist watch list or people who have been convicted of a major felony.
Advocates touted the changes as better protection for undocumented immigrants. Opponents argued it made Connecticut less safe because local law enforcement now couldn’t work with ICE on lesser felonies, significant misdemeanors, federally identified gang members and those local police view as an unacceptable risk to public safety.
“That’s problematic,” Harding said. “It’s a hindrance on our public safety.”
Harding said he doesn’t know, but suspects Trump’s announcement will have little effect on Connecticut, especially given the changes to the Trust Act.
State Rep. Bob Godfrey, D-Danbury, said he thinks Trump’s announcement won’t affect the state.
“This is Washington-insider nonsense,” he said. “Congress needs to step up and fix the immigration laws.”
Trump’s tweets called out the congressional Democrats.
“The only ones who won’t do anything are the Democrats in Congress,” Trump wrote. “They must vote to get rid of the loopholes, and fix asylum! If so, Border Crisis will end quickly!”
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., released a statement Tuesday opposing Trump’s announcement.
“Breaking up families and deporting hardworking men and women who contribute to our nation is a punitive and unwise use of scarce federal resources,” Blumenthal said. “The crisis at the border is one of President Trump’s own making — cruel and inhumane treatment of families fleeing chaos in their countries hoping to find safe asylum in the United States. I’m a longtime supporter of common sense and comprehensive reform of our immigration system, which the president refuses to discuss.”