Whoa, whoa, lets hold back until the new site is up, then we'll take the gloves off...
The forum was held to bring attention to the number of undocumented immigrants who are being targeted by federal and state police as well as local officials.
Due to the my injury to my hand, I was unable to attend the event so unfortunately, I don't have my usual video report to show everyone. The good news is that this case is gaining a great deal of media attention and even FOX61 lead this newscast with this case (click here to watch the FOX61 report on the forum. I'm hoping to have the FOX61 video posted here later).
While immigrant raids occur statewide, Danbury has been a particular hotspot. Last September, 11 undocumented workers were arrested in a sting operation. They were picked up by law enforcement officials posing as building contractors, then processed by federal police and detained to Texas. Nine were released on bail, and the others are reportedly being deported to Ecuador.
The experience of the group, nicknamed the Danbury 11, is becoming more and more common across the country, immigrant rights supporters say.
“They have been carrying out a coordinated campaign to terrorize the immigrant communities from California to Connecticut,” said Jason McGahan of Connecticut Regional Coalition for Immigrant Rights.
On Feb. 3, at 7:30 p.m. Saint Augustine’s church in Hartford hosts Stop the Raids forum. The event, organized by the CT Regional Coalition for Immigrant Rights, features presentations from attorneys, immigrants and others.
“It’s not only about the Danbury 11. It’s about the raids that are happening nationally. We want to bring awareness about these things to everybody in the community, not just in Danbury, but everywhere,” said Marela Zacarias, an organizer of the event and a member of Latinos Against the War.
The organizers of the event intend for both immigrants and non immigrants to attend.
“The reality is that this happens all around us,” said St. Augustine’s pastor Father Thomas Mitchell. Mitchell said the parish has consistently supported immigrant rights, and agreed to host the forum without hesitation.
[...]
The September sting and Pereira’s arrest were conducted by the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration policing branch, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Founded in 2003, ICE has netted thousands of immigrants during home and workplace raids conducted in California, North Carolina and other states during January 2007. Immigrant rights supporters decry their tactics.
“When ICE arrests an immigrant, they essentially go by the same procedure that would be called ‘disappearing someone’ in Latin America,” McGahan said. “They grab them very suddenly, take them to a location that they do not disclose to the family. [They] have been known to transfer the detainees to locations far removed from the arrest location.”
[...]
Yale law student Simon Moshenberg is representing nine of the men in a lawsuit with the Department of Homeland Security. Working with other Yale students through the Jerome Frank Legal Services Organization, Moshenberg hopes to prove that the original arrest was conducted illegally.
“Among the many arguments we’re going to make is that the arrest itself was carried out in an illegal manner, and therefore, as is standard practice, if the arrest is illegal, all the evidence gained as a result of that arrest has to be thrown out and can’t be used in a legal proceeding,” Moshenberg said.
Moshenberg and his fellow Yale students are defending the men pro bono; many immigrants going through deportation hearings do so without legal council.
Finally, although I was unable to make the forum, I did interview Moshenberg and the other lawyers defending the individuals who were picked up by ICE. As a flashback, here's my video report from December.
Expect this case to heat up during this election year and you can read and watch all the details that the News-Times is unable to fit right here.
UPDATE: Supporters of the "Danbury 11" have set up a website for people who want more information or want to send donations. You can view it by clicking here.
04.25.22 (RADIO): WSHU Latino group call on Connecticut lawmakers to open a Danbury charter school
06.03.22 (OP-ED): KUSHNER: "Career Academy ‘a great deal for Danbury"
On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
The amended complaint states that plaintiffs sought to remedy the continued discriminatory and unauthorized enforcement of federal immigration laws against the Latino residents of the City of Danbury by Danbury's mayor and its police department.
Plaintiffs allege that the arrests violated their Fourth Amendment rights and the Connecticut Constitution because defendants conducted the arrests without valid warrants, in the absence of exigent circumstances, and without probable cause to believe that plaintiffs were engaged in unlawful activity. In addition, plaintiffs allege that defendants improperly stopped, detained, investigated, searched and arrested plaintiffs. Plaintiffs also allege that defendants violated their Fourteenth Amendment rights when they intentionally targeted plaintiffs, and arrested and detained them on the basis of their race, ethnicity and perceived national origin. Plaintiffs raise First Amendment, Due Process and tort claims.
Plaintiffs request declaratory relief, damages and attorneys fees.
On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
