In a recent letter to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Connecticut Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers has joined a growing movement of Chief Justices calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to end their use of courthouses as bait for detaining immigrants. The Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance (CIRA) met with staff of the Connecticut Judicial Branch to address concerns of heightened immigration enforcement in and around our state courthouses, urging the department to call on the Trump Administration to discontinue deceptive arrest tactics.
Letters by Chief Justice Rogers and CIRA included below.
Ana Maria Rivera-Forastieri, CIRA: “ The presence of immigration officers lurking at our state courthouses deters victims and witnesses from attending state criminal proceedings. This directly undermines our judicial system and access to justice for many state residents.
“We applaud Chief Justice Chase Rogers for taking this meaningful step towards protecting the rights of undocumented immigrants in Connecticut, and look forward to continuing our mutual work to ensure that our communities are safe from deceptive baiting tactics by ICE.”
Following the meeting, Chief Justice Rogers penned a letter urging Attorney General Sessions and Secretary Kelly to treat Connecticut’s courthouses as “sensitive locations,” which merit protections as institutions of fair and impartial justice.
The letter by Chief Justice Rogers follows recent letters issued by three Chief Justices from Washington, California and New Jersey asking ICE to stop arresting immigrants at courthouses. In the letter, Rogers joined the chorus of chief justices speaking out against ICE in an effort to preserve courthouses as safe spaces.
Chief Justice Rogers’ statement in a letter to AG Sessions and HS Secretary Kelly:
“…it is of great concern when they take custody of individuals in public areas of our couthouses. As you know, the judiciary relies on the public’s trust and confidence to fulfill its constitutional and statutory obligations. We also rely on the public to comply with court orders and to show up in court when summoned to appear. I believe that having ICE officers detain individuals in public areas of our courthouses may cause litigants, witnesses and interested parties to view our courthouses as places to avoid, rather than institutions of fair and impartial justice.”
In the wake of increased attacks by the Trump Administration and ICE against undocumented immigrants, advocates intensified their call for the expansion of the Connecticut TRUST Act (Public Act No. 13-155), which partially limits collaboration between ICE and local and state police in order to protect undocumented immigrants and build trust between local authorities and the community. The law contains several loopholes that allow ICE to detain individuals without a judicial warrant and hold them without due process, making it easy for them to abuse its power.
Ana Maria Rivera-Forastieri, CIRA: “As Trump continues to increase the administration’s inhumane enforcement tactics, our state should continue to take proactive steps to protect the integrity of our government and its treatment of its residents. These actions underscore the importance of enacting sanctuary city ordinances as well as updating the Connecticut TRUST Act by putting a complete and full stop to using state and local resources to help federal government pursue unconstitutional detentions. “
A bill, Proposed Bill No. 590 An Act Concerning the Connecticut TRUST Act, was introduced at the start of the 2017 legislative session, but the judiciary committee refused to hear the bill.
Ana Maria Rivera-Forastieri, CIRA: “The legislature’s failure to act represents a lack of political will. As Trump wages war on immigrants around the country, not a single bill that addresses attacks against immigrants in Connecticut was raised by the committee. We cannot allow politicians to play games with the lives of our friends, families, and communities. Our legislature should be fiercely and actively finding ways to improve the lives immigrant communities, not delaying justice under the false veil of process and procedure.”
The following letter was issued by Chief Justice Chase Rogers to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly:
The following letter on behalf of CIRA by Counsel to Martin Libbin Deputy Director, Legal Operations, State of Connecticut Judicial Branch:
