ICE Agents Smash Car Window, Detain Fair Havener Before Court

By Mona Mahadevan, New Haven Independent

NEW HAVEN, CT — Broken glass was scattered across Maltby Street Friday morning after masked federal immigration agents reportedly surrounded a 33-year-old man’s car, smashed his passenger-side window, and handcuffed him outside his home.

The arrest took place less than two hours before that same man was due to appear in court on charges of intending to sexually assault a child.

While Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did not respond to a request for comment by the publication time of this article, five neighbors who saw the incident said the arresting officers were masked and wearing vests that identified themselves as federal agents. An alder’s video recording of the aftermath shows a masked agent in a vest printed with the words “ICE” and “police.”

New Haven Police Department (NHPD) spokesperson Officer Christian Bruckhart also told the Independent that ICE appeared to have arrested someone in Fair Haven Friday morning. He said NHPD was not involved.

One neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous due to fear of ICE, watched the arrest from a corner market.

“It was quick,” the neighbor said. “Five minutes, and they were gone.” He said the incident took place around 8:30 a.m. Three or four unmarked cars swarmed Maltby Street, where a man was backing out of his driveway, he said. He does not remember seeing the man resisting arrest.

Masked agents wearing ICE vests then bashed the man’s car window, he said. After agents handcuffed the man and putting him into a vehicle, one ICE agent drove the man’s car back into the driveway.

At 9:45 a.m., shards of glass were sprawled across Maltby Street.

Fair Haven Alder Sarah Miller, who represents the neighboring Ward 14, happened upon the incident while driving down the street around 8:45 a.m.

In a video she recorded at the scene, Miller can be heard asking one of the masked ICE agents what happened.

“We had a warrant,” he responded. He confirmed making an arrest and said, “I can’t tell you his name, but I can tell you he was enticing a minor, under 18.”

Miller then asked for the address of the arrest. The agent did not respond. A different agent said, “Get her, too.”

Miller said neighbors told her that the man who was detained had recently moved into the first floor of a house on Maltby Street. He was arrested just outside of his home.

ICE agents left the man’s keys and phone sitting in the man’s Honda, as well as a print-out indicating his upcoming court date.

Online judicial records show the man was scheduled to appear in Meriden’s state court on Friday morning. The hearing concerned three felony charges: attempt to commit sexual assault in the second degree, enticing a minor under 18, and risk of injury to a child.

His arrest warrant affidavit, written by North Haven Police Det. Brianna Sargent on Dec. 20, states the man was detained through a sting operation jointly conducted by the North Haven Police Department, East Haven Police Department, and FBI divisions in New Haven and Albany.

According to the affidavit, the man contacted an undercover agent posing as the aunt of a 13-year-old girl through an “online casual encounter platform.” After finding out the girl’s age, he allegedly asked for photographs and sex. The undercover agent said yes, and then asked him to bring condoms and $120 to a hotel room in North Haven.

On Dec. 19, he allegedly knocked on the hotel room door. When he was taken into custody, police claim he had three condoms, $120 in cash, and a cellphone.

In an interview with officers, the man claimed he was intending to “save” the girl. He said he didn’t call the police department because he wanted to see her first.

Online court records show the man was released from custody on a $150,000 bond.

The warrant does not include any information about the man’s immigration status or his country of origin.

In an interview with the Independent on Friday afternoon, the arrestee’s lawyer, John Ferranti, said he called the man’s sister after he failed to show up to court in Meriden. Ferranti said his client’s sister suspected that her brother had been taken by ICE, which was later confirmed by a call from a member of an immigrant rights coalition.

The man’s case was rescheduled to Mar. 10. Ferranti is not sure if that hearing will take place. “I’m still wrapping my arms around what happened and what the ramifications are,” he said.

ICE agents have popped up downtown with increasing frequency in recent months, usually to make arrests of undocumented immigrants who have shown up for criminal court hearings — a method of immigration enforcement that advocates warn will discourage migrants from showing up to court or reporting crimes to the police.

On Friday, Miller acknowledged the detained man’s charges. She also pointed out that “we have a judicial system for that.” Rather than “deporting people to another country,” said Miller, “I’d rather they stay here and be held accountable.”

While some Fair Haven residents told the Independent on Friday that they’ve come to expect ICE arrests, the manner in which their neighbor was taken has amplified their fears.

One person — an undocumented migrant from Guatemala who witnessed the arrest — said, “Que más que quiero hacer, pero estamos en el mismo caso. Estoy en un mismo problema…Qué puedo hacer?” There is more that I want to do, but we’re in the same boat. I have the same problem…What can I do?

Thomas Breen contributed to this report.

The New Haven Independent is a not-for-profit public-interest daily news site founded in 2005.