Advocates for undocumented immigrants want federal law enforcement to stay out of state courthouses. Members of the Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance and several others protested Monday on the steps of the state Supreme Court.
They demanded that administrators bar federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from state courthouses -- unless ICE officers have a warrant.
“We feel like -- as the keepers of institutions of justice in our state -- they should step up to make these institutions safe for all residents,” said Alok Bhatt, CIRA’s community defense coordinator.
“They shouldn’t allow them to become stalking grounds or basically grounds for overzealous, aggressive law enforcement to take place.”
The office of the state’s chief court administrator told Connecticut Public Radio that while the state’s chief justice has asked the federal government to keep ICE from arresting people in state courthouses, the branch can’t ban anyone from courthouses because they are open to the public.
In a statement, Patrick Carroll points out that former Chief Justice Chase Rogers and incumbent Richard Robinson have petitioned the Department of Justice to stop ICE from conducting enforcement activities in Connecticut courthouses.
“The facts are clear: the Judicial Branch has sought the exact same thing that CIRA is seeking -- no ICE enforcement activity in the courts,” the statement says. “We have trained -- and will continue to train -- our judicial marshals on the comprehensive requirements of Connecticut’s Trust Act and also continue to assure compliance with the provisions of that law.”
Undocumented immigrants have some level of protection in state courts. Because of measures taken last year to strengthen the Connecticut Trust Act, judicial marshals aren’t allowed to facilitate ICE action unless a warrant is presented.
