Connecticut federal and state elected officials have joined advocates and local officials in demanding that a Cheshire high school senior detained by ICE be immediately released.
The student whose first name is Rihan was arrested outside his home in Cheshire on Monday and is being unlawfully detained by ICE at a facility in Plymouth, Massachusetts, said Governor Ned Lamont at a news briefing outside the State Capitol on Friday.
“He came to this country legally. He came to this country with his dad. His dad was standing side by side with us in Afghanistan as an interpreter at an incredible risk to himself. And we owe him a debt of gratitude.”
Rihan is an A student and a classmate of her daughter at Cheshire High School, said state Representative Liz Linehan.
“This young man deserves dignity. He deserves compassion. He deserves the chance to return home to Cheshire.”
“He is not alone. Rihan is not alone. And frankly, for the people of Connecticut who feel this is somebody else’s problem, it’s happening here. Minneapolis is happening here,” said U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, who helped free Rihan’s father after more than two months in ICE detention last summer.
Blumenthal said he will not vote for any more funding for ICE.
Rihan applied for legal residency last year, and the application is still pending with immigration, his immigration attorney said.
