Federal immigration authorities have detained dozens of people in Danbury, Connecticut, this week, a move met with strong opposition from local officials and protesters. The operation underscores a significant increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests nationwide in June and July, according to newly released data.
ICE agents have conducted detentions in various public spaces, including outside apartment buildings, during traffic stops, in parks, and near schools and daycare centers. Clementina Lunar, an advocate with Danbury Unites for Immigrants, reported that as of Wednesday evening, more than 50 arrests had impacted approximately 40 families, with many residents reportedly in hiding.
"We are talking about mothers with babies and school-age children who unfortunately had their breadwinner taken," Lunar stated, describing the operation as "terrorizing" the city. Danbury's population is nearly one-third Hispanic or Latino, with a significant portion born in other countries, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that ICE agents were addressing "public safety threats" and arrested at least four individuals with prior convictions for violent crimes after entering the U.S. illegally. However, local and state representatives held a news conference Wednesday to condemn the operation, asserting it was traumatizing students as they returned to school.
ICE responded to criticism by stating, "ICE does not target schools, but we will not allow criminals to hide in our nation’s schools and put the safety of children at risk.”
Internal data indicates a substantial rise in ICE arrests following increased congressional funding for detention and deportation, along with the addition of thousands of new officers over the past year. Nearly 50,000 people were arrested in July alone, a figure representing a high for President Donald Trump's second term, according to ICE data obtained by the Deportation Data Project and analyzed by the Associated Press. A majority of those detained reportedly had no criminal record.
While many arrests occurred in states that actively cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, such as Texas and Florida, the data shows an increase across the country, including in states with laws intended to limit ICE operations, like New Jersey. Protesters in Danbury have engaged in confrontations with ICE officers, who have reportedly used pepper spray on at least one occasion.
Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves, who immigrated to the U.S. as a child, noted that some of those detained were long-term residents with work authorization, who were paying taxes and pursuing permanent residency. "The folks doing it the right way are also getting deported. We can’t stand for that any more. We’re fed up with what we’re seeing,” Alves said. He also alleged that ICE officers engaged in racial profiling, a claim the Department of Homeland Security has denied.
The Justice Department is currently challenging a Connecticut law enacted this year that prohibits ICE officers from wearing masks and designates protected areas, such as schools and churches, where civil immigration arrests are restricted. ICE contends the law is unconstitutional, and state and local officials have expressed uncertainty about their authority to arrest federal agents.