Immigration advocates and experts were at the Capitol on Wednesday for a roundtable convened by the state’s Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity & Opportunity.
It featured more than a dozen speakers and convered topics ranging from international student rights to the Trust Act and how immigrant workers could make housing and employment discrimination complaints without jepordizing their status.
The panel commenced with a three minute speech from Governor Ned Lamont (D) that, for those who have heard him speak about the issue in the last few months, likely sounds familiar.
“Connecticut is a safe haven,” Lamont said. “I want people to feel safe here. I want people to feel welcome here. I want to make sure that our kids feel safe going to school.”
Cheryl Sharp leads Connecticut’s Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, which is an anti-discrimination agency. Sharp said the state’s immigrant population is hesitant to use services like hers because they don’t want to risk deportation.
In response to growing fears, her organization offers video chats for people who are afraid to meet in person, and has reaffirmed that they won’t report legal status to immigration officials.
“The saddest thing for us is that those most vulnerable in our population are afraid to come forward to seek the redress that they're entitled to,” Sharp said.
A 2023 study from the non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation that surveyed more than 3,000 immigrants found that more than half of Black and Hispanic participants said they’d faced discrimination at work.
Also mentioned during the discussion were the 53 international college students in Connecticut that are part of a class action lawsuit against the Trump administration over canceled student visas.
On Tuesday, a federal judge said their F1 status had to be reinstated.
Dana Bucin is an immigration lawyer who represents the students.
“This is an excellent example of how availing yourself of your rights in federal district court is worth it, because it works,” Bucin said. “The federal judiciary still works and will protect our rights under the laws in the Constitution.”
Bucin said the students aren’t in the clear yet — their statuses have been reinstated, but some of their visas have not. However, a temporary injunction has prevented them from being deported.
According to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, the branch had arrested more than 66,000 immigrants and deported more than 65,000 as of April 29.
“Including 2,288 gang members from Tren de Aragua, MS-13, 18th Street and other gangs,” ICE acting Director Todd M. Lyons said in a statement on Tuesday. “Additionally, 1,329 were accused or convicted of sex offenses, and 498 were accused or convicted of murder.”
Repeated requests for information about how many immigrants from Connecticut have been apprehended from WSHU have gone unanswered.
Connecticut’s Trust Act prohibits law enforcement from communicating with ICE. Some state lawmakers want to update the law this session — an idea that was broadly supported by members of the panel on Wednesday.
