CT Immigration Advocates Sound Alarm After Surge in ICE Raids

(Connecticut) Immigration advocates across the state are urging immediate action after a sharp rise in ICE raids and arrests under President Trump’s second term. Between January 20 and mid-June 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 247 people in Connecticut, more than double the 110 arrests during the same period last year under President Biden—a nearly 125% increase. Organizers describe the situation as critical, saying they are “running out of time” to protect families as enforcement expands beyond people with criminal convictions.

The pace of arrests surged from late January through April, dipped in May, then rose again in early June. Community groups point to a late May meeting where Trump advisor Stephen Miller urged ICE officials to broaden enforcement targets and pursue a goal of 3,000 deportations per day nationwide. Advocates say the early June spike in Connecticut tracks with that national push, adding to fear in mixed-status households and workplaces.

Local arrest patterns show a spread across cities and detention settings. ICE recorded arrests in Stamford (19), Waterbury (14), Danbury (13), Bridgeport (12), and at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury (13). People with no criminal convictions are now the fastest-growing part of the detention population. Nationwide, about half of detainees lack criminal records—nearly 30,000 people in detention without convictions—deepening concerns that routine traffic stops or courthouse visits may lead to removal.

Ecuadorians make up the largest group among those arrested in Connecticut this year, about 26% or 65 individuals, followed by migrants from Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic. Advocates say these numbers reflect long-settled communities with deep ties to workplaces, churches, and schools. “People are afraid to leave home, but rent is due,” said one organizer in Bridgeport. “Parents are sending neighbors to pick up kids from school.”

Public concern jumped in early June after large-scale operations in cities like Los Angeles led to the deployment of National Guard troops. Word of stepped-up actions traveled quickly through Connecticut’s immigrant neighborhoods, including Bridgeport, Lower Fairfield County, Willimantic, Hartford, and East Hartford. Volunteers reported more calls to hotlines and a rush for “Know Your Rights” materials.

Rapid Rise in Arrests and Who Is Affected

The Connecticut numbers mirror a broader national strategy that the Trump administration calls the largest deportation drive in the history of the United States. Officials say the push aims to remove people who broke immigration laws. But experts note a mismatch between the public message and who is getting arrested.

UCLA Professor Graeme Blair points to data showing many people picked up do not have criminal convictions. That’s reshaping the risk calculus for families who have long lived quietly, worked steady jobs, and kept court dates.

In towns like Stamford and Danbury, local pastors say services now include brief legal talks and planning checklists. Small business owners describe lost shifts when workers stay home after spotting unmarked cars they fear belong to ICE. Parents swap tips about school pick-ups and plan who can care for a child if a parent is detained.

Community leaders warn that focusing on numbers can hide the human cost. A single arrest can:

• Split a family
• Halt a job search
• Cause a lease to fall apart

Legal aid groups report that people without criminal records often do not have lawyers ready, and they may not know about the right to remain silent or to refuse consent to an at-home search without a warrant signed by a judge.

Policy Drivers and Community Response

The late May meeting featuring Stephen Miller and ICE leaders has become a touchpoint for advocates trying to explain the June spike in arrests. Miller has long pressed for broader enforcement and faster removals. According to planning details shared with organizers, the 2025 strategy emphasizes volume—more arrests and more detentions—regardless of conviction status. That stance reflects a shift from earlier messages about focusing on “the worst of the worst.”

Connecticut officials have tried to calm fears, reminding residents of their rights during ICE encounters. Still, community groups say the rising arrest numbers have outpaced those outreach efforts. Volunteers are holding living-room sessions and weekend trainings that cover what to do if ICE knocks, how to prepare documents, and how to set up emergency child care plans.

Key community responses include:

• Know Your Rights training
  • Ask for identification
  • Keep doors closed
  • Request a warrant signed by a judge before any entry
• Family preparedness
  • List emergency contacts
  • Collect key documents
  • Discuss short-term guardianship plans
• Legal support
  • Link at-risk residents with attorneys before a crisis hits

Organizations such as the Immigrant Defense Project provide training materials and track ICE raids, though advocates note that the group’s ICEwatch map hasn’t been updated since 2022, limiting real-time detail. Even so, trainers use older cases to explain common tactics at homes, workplaces, and courthouses. VisaVerge.com reports that community groups often pair these trainings with basic planning checklists and hotline numbers to help families act quickly if someone is detained.

Data transparency remains a core concern. ICE’s public pages show continued enforcement and detention operations, but analysts say gaps in removal data make it hard to judge how many arrests lead to deportations. For official enforcement data and detention statistics, advocates point people to ICE’s website at https://www.ice.gov/statistics.

Meanwhile, public opinion may be shifting. A recent NPR/PBS/Marist poll found 52% of Americans disapprove of the current enforcement approach, a reversal from earlier years when tougher actions drew stronger support. In Connecticut, that mood is playing out in rallies outside courthouses and city halls, with residents calling for:

• Local support funds
• Rapid response networks
• Stronger legal defense programs

Outlook and Practical Steps

With summer giving way to fall, advocacy groups expect ICE raids to continue or rise, given the administration’s goals for deportations per day and the first-half trends in 2025. Organizers are pressing lawmakers for swift steps:

1. Emergency legal funding
2. Clear state-level guidance to schools and hospitals
3. Stronger limits on civil immigration arrests in sensitive locations

Families are also being urged to take basic steps now:

• Keep key records together: IDs, passports, birth certificates, school records, and proof of address
• Memorize at least one phone number for a trusted contact and a lawyer
• Avoid opening the door to officers without seeing a warrant signed by a judge
  • People can ask officers to slide the document under the door or hold it to a window
• Do not sign anything without legal advice

This year’s arrest totals—especially the 247 people in Connecticut picked up by mid-June—have become a rallying point for those calling for fast action. Whether in Stamford, Waterbury, or Danbury, the message from community rooms and church basements is steady: learn your rights, make a plan, and stay connected.

“People feel alone until they walk into a room like this. Then they see a plan is possible—even when the knocks keep coming,” an advocate said after a packed training in Hartford.