DANBURY, CT — Federal immigration officials defended recent enforcement operations in Danbury and said they "will not be stopping" after U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal heard concerns from local officials, attorneys and immigrant advocates about ICE activity in the city.
Blumenthal held a public forum Thursday at Western Connecticut State University, following four days of heightened immigration enforcement in Danbury from Aug. 24 through Aug. 27.
Participants described fear within the city's immigrant community and raised concerns about the tactics used during the enforcement operation.
Danbury United For Immigrants, a local immigrant advocacy group, said it documented at least 65 people detained during that period based on reports from family members and people who witnessed arrests. ICE has not publicly confirmed a total number of arrests.
The enforcement activity occurred across the city, including around Kennedy Park and local businesses. Advocates said federal agents used pepper spray or Tasers in several encounters. At least one man was hospitalized following an encounter with ICE agents.
The forum comes as ICE has disclosed little information about many of its recent arrests in Danbury, leaving local officials and advocates to piece together who was detained. Blumenthal said the forum was intended to build a record of ICE's conduct that could lead to congressional action.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson defended recent operations and sharply criticized Blumenthal.
"ICE is enforcing the law as written by Congress and we will not be stopping," the spokesperson said.
DHS also pointed to the Aug. 27 arrest of Jhonny Ojeda, an Ecuadorian national whom the agency said had previously been removed from the United States in June 2022 and later illegally reentered the country. DHS said Ojeda's criminal history included arrests for driving under the influence and possession of an open container of liquor. Patch has not independently verified those claims.
The agency said Ojeda remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
Blumenthal, meanwhile, has disputed the administration's characterization of those arrested during the recent enforcement surge. At Thursday's forum, he said "maybe six or seven" of roughly 100 people he believed had been arrested had serious criminal records.
Earlier this week, Blumenthal formally requested that DHS provide information about those detained in Connecticut, including their names, ages, criminal convictions, warrants and legal status. He gave the agency a Sept. 11 deadline to respond.
DHS also criticized Connecticut laws limiting state and local cooperation with federal immigration detainers, arguing those policies make immigration enforcement more difficult.
Under the Connecticut Trust Act, state and local authorities generally may not arrest or detain someone based on a civil immigration detainer without a judicial warrant, though state law provides exceptions for certain serious criminal convictions and other circumstances.
In a statement, the agency provided examples of several other people detained in Connecticut who have serious criminal convictions. Those examples were not identified as people arrested during last week's Danbury operation.
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