American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut Statement on ICE Violence at Meriden Courthouse

On Wednesday, ICE agents brought violence to the steps of a Connecticut courthouse and Connecticut residents paid the price. Masked federal agents took a man into custody at the Meriden courthouse. When community members exercised their right to observe and document, one woman was pepper-sprayed by an ICE agent for simply stepping back, and another was shoved to the ground by courthouse security with such force that witnesses say she briefly lost consciousness before being taken away by ambulance.

This is clear, blatant intimidation and not how law enforcement should interact with the public.

We are equally alarmed that Judicial Branch marshals let ICE operate inside the courthouse without first confirming that agents possessed a valid, signed judicial warrant. Connecticut's courthouse protections are meaningless if the officials charged with upholding them wave ICE through the door and sort out the paperwork later.

Wednesday’s attacks are also a warning. The Trust Act was written to protect our immigrant residents, but what happened in Meriden shows it provides bare-minimum coverage at best, which can be easily outmaneuvered by agents who mask their identities, sidestep warrant verification, and count on state officials not to push back in the moment. Connecticut lawmakers should treat this incident as the wake-up call it is: the law needs real enforcement mechanisms, real consequences for violations, and real protections that don't depend on federal agents' good faith.

We are demanding accountability. ACLU-CT has submitted a Freedom of Information request to the chief administrator's office for the warrant ICE presented Wednesday. Connecticut residents deserve answers.

ICE's escalating presence in Meriden and across Connecticut is not making anyone safer. It is traumatizing and separating families, endangering innocent bystanders, and testing whether Connecticut's laws mean anything at all. We will not look away.

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