DANBURY, Conn. — After nearly 100 arrests statewide over the past week, top state officials fear that the worst is not over for immigrants across Connecticut.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves toured the downtown businesses in Danbury on Monday and found it eerily quiet because immigrants fear that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency will return to make more arrests.

“It’s quieter today, but I don’t think the worst is over because you just don’t know when they’re going to be back,” Alves said.

Following their walking tour, they said the economic impact is obvious; Danbury restaurants and sidewalks were missing the normal hustle and bustle of residents traditionally shopping and going about their daily business.

“Main Street isn’t what it used to be,” Alves said. “We don’t see folks going to the stores. We still see parents scared to send their kids to school. We still see parents scared to go to work.”

Blumenthal recently returned from his 11th trip to war-torn Ukraine, and he was so concerned that he called Alves from overseas.

“We’re both sons of immigrants,” Blumenthal said outside Danbury city hall. “What I saw (on the tour) I didn’t recognize as America: people fearing for their basic safety from agents of their own government. That’s not America.”

Recalling his phone call to Alves, Blumenthal said, “I asked him what is going on. I am in a country that is at war, trying to preserve its rights and liberties against the murderous onslaught of Putin in Russia. And in the United States of America we see this blatant infringement on civil rights and liberties. The administration promised it was going to go after the worst of the worst, that is, people with serious criminal records. That’s not what’s happening.”

Out of nearly 100 people arrested in Danbury, Bridgeport and Stamford in recent days, officials estimate that only about six or seven might have criminal records.

Some students, Alves says, are afraid of going to school as shown by attendance that is down by about 700 in a Danbury public school system of about 12,000 students.

With strong support from President Donald J. Trump, ICE has been able to arrest immigrants across the country with little pushback from the Republican-controlled Congress.

As the ranking member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Blumenthal has held forums on the activities of ICE. He is planning another public forum in Danbury on Thursday so that residents can speak on the issues. The exact location will be announced in the coming days.

“ICE is going after hardworking people with families and children and jobs who are living their lives in Danbury, a community built by immigrants,” Blumenthal said. “That’s not what the administration promised. Seizing people after they put their kids on school buses, dragging them from cars and throwing them to the ground, kicking them while they’re there, using masks without full identification is what we have seen in Minneapolis, Chicago and Los Angeles.”

ICE officials have not responded to emailed requests for comment, and the agency has declined to provide details of the arrests and detentions.

But in a televised interview on Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union with host Dana Bash, top administration official Tom Homan said ICE agents have been doing their jobs.

“We’re out there to look for illegal aliens with final orders of removal, those who overstay, those who are criminals, and we’re out there looking for them and arresting them,” Homan said. “ICE has no intention of terrorizing children. That is just a political statement, you know, to enrage the American people.”

When Bash asked about Connecticut, Homan said, “Did somebody arrest somebody at a bus stop? I’m not aware of that. … I’m not aware of that incident at all.”

When asked if he will investigate the reports about arrests at a bus stop in Connecticut, Homan responded, “I’ll make an inquiry to the Department of Homeland Security. Yes.”

Threats to lawmakers

In a related matter, threats have been made to both Alves and state Rep. Farley Santos, two Danbury Democrats who were undocumented immigrants as children and later obtained citizenship. Santos responded on Facebook after a written comment that he should receive “a lead sleeping pill.”

“Our political discourse should be better than this,” Santos wrote. “But our discourse, particularly on social media, has become dangerously polarized. Here is a comment on one of my posts saying that someone should ‘take this…out with a lead sleeping pill.’ In other words, calling for me to be shot and killed because of something I believe, support, or oppose. There have been so many truly disgusting comments this week and recently.”

Santos added, “We are all entitled to our opinions. In fact, that freedom to disagree, debate, organize, vote, and speak our minds is part of what makes the American experiment so sacred. But disagreement should never become a call for violence. Social media has given some people a courage behind a keyboard that they would likely never have face to face. We joke about “keyboard warriors,” but comments like this cannot simply be dismissed as internet nonsense. We have witnessed far too much political violence in this country to pretend words like these don’t matter. Whether this person intended it as a joke or not, for the sake of my family, I will be reporting it to the appropriate authorities.”

He concluded, “Disagree with me. Challenge me. Vote against me. Tell me when you think I’m wrong. That is democracy. Wishing someone dead is not.”

State Rep. Ken Gucker, a fellow Danbury Democrat, responded, “I am very familiar with these statements as I experienced them as well. What is disturbing is those in our community who endorse such statements with either their silence or adding more content.”

In a similar way, Alves has been threatened to the point that he needs a security detail of Danbury police officers. A 54-year-old man was arrested earlier this year and charged on a Class A misdemeanor count with second-degree threatening. Alves wrote that the case involved 41 registered guns, six unregistered guns, more than 1,000 high-capacity magazines and Nazi memorabilia.

“When someone uses language like 'illegals' while wishing for my death, that is not incidental,” Alves wrote. “It reflects the same hateful rhetoric that has fueled threats against me before.”

In addition, he wrote on Facebook that “criticism is democracy. Death wishes are not. We can disagree on policy. We can debate ideas. That’s part of public service. But wishing for someone’s death crosses every line. Comments like these are exactly why security is necessary and why I will continue to take it seriously. I have a responsibility to serve the people of Danbury, and I have a responsibility to return home safely to my family each night. There is no place for this kind of hatred in our or any community.”

Outside of Danbury, state lawmakers are highly concerned about the arrests and detentions.

Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney of New Haven, majority leader Bob Duff of Norwalk and other Democrats all raised issues with ICE.

“Democracy and the protection of human and Constitutional rights are priorities for Connecticut Democrats,” they said. “While adherence to our new ICE law isn’t perfect, we are seeing fewer ICE face masks during arrests. People generally aren’t being arrested in sensitive areas as described in Senate Bill 397. Bystanders are generally being allowed to record these arrests without being assaulted and arrested.”

“Unfortunately, there have been some violations of our new law, and we hope that a quick resolution of the Trump Justice Department’s challenge to the bill that we Democrats passed will allow Connecticut to move forward with firm guidance to local police departments and the chief state’s attorney’s office on how to arrest federal ICE agents who violate our state laws. … More than 95% of the people ICE arrests in America have no violent criminal convictions.”

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