Statement from State Rep. Chris Rosario:
“As a Lifetime member of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) and a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Latino Legislative Leaders, I am deeply concerned about the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Noem v. Perdomo. By allowing federal officers to detain individuals based on appearance, language, or perceived ethnicity, the Court has sent a dangerous message: who you are—or what you look like—can make you a target.
This ruling forces us to ask a fundamental question: what does it mean to look American? In Greater Bridgeport and across Fairfield County, families of Latino, South Asian, African, European, and countless other backgrounds live, work, and contribute to our communities. None of them should live in fear that their skin color, accent, or cultural heritage will make them suspects.
As Justice Sotomayor highlighted in her dissent, and as NALEO has warned, suspicion must rest on facts, not faces. Policies that allow profiling based on appearance or language undermine the core values of justice and equality that define our country—and our local communities.
Here in Bridgeport and Fairfield County, we are a diverse tapestry of cultures and backgrounds. Our law enforcement and our laws must protect everyone equally. We will continue to fight for constitutional rights and fairness so that every resident can live without fear of being treated as a suspect simply because of who they are.”
Rep. Christopher Rosario, Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore, Connecticut State House of Representatives
Declaración del Representante Estatal Christopher Rosario sobre la decisión de la Corte Suprema en Noem v. Perdomo
“Como miembro de por vida de la Asociación Nacional de Funcionarios Latinos Elegidos y Designados (NALEO, por sus siglas en inglés) y miembro del Comité Ejecutivo de la Junta de Líderes Legislativos Latinos, estoy profundamente preocupado por la reciente decisión de la Corte Suprema en Noem v. Perdomo. Al permitir que oficiales federales detengan a personas basándose en su apariencia, idioma o supuesto origen étnico, la Corte envía un mensaje peligroso: quién eres o cómo te ves puede convertirte en un objetivo.
Esta decisión nos obliga a hacer una pregunta fundamental: ¿qué significa verse americano? En Greater Bridgeport y en todo el condado de Fairfield, familias latinas, del sur de Asia, africanas, europeas y de muchas otras comunidades viven, trabajan y contribuyen a nuestras comunidades. Ninguna de estas familias debería vivir con miedo de ser tratadas como sospechosas simplemente por su color de piel, acento o herencia cultural.
Como destacó la jueza Sotomayor en su disenso, y como ha advertido NALEO, la sospecha debe basarse en hechos, no en apariencia. Las políticas que permiten la discriminación por apariencia o idioma socavan los valores fundamentales de justicia e igualdad que definen nuestro país y nuestras comunidades locales.
Aquí en Bridgeport y en el condado de Fairfield, somos un tejido diverso de culturas y raíces. Nuestras leyes y nuestra policía deben proteger a todos por igual. Continuaremos luchando por los derechos constitucionales y la equidad, para que cada residente pueda vivir sin temor a ser tratado como sospechoso solo por quién es.”
Rep. Christopher Rosario, Vicepresidente del Parlamento, Cámara de Representantes del Estado de Connecticu
What does an American look like? Can you tell them apart by looking at them? Great questions aren’t they?
I have come to know many people whose births span much of the world, but only some of whom live in the US today. I am afraid that I cannot tell them apart, just by looking at them.
Hold up our fact and evidence based rule and logic of law and order. Resist the attempt by one of the less worthy among us to gather controls to be King. If he worships gold, let him reach for it, just not as executive office holder. Power was meant to be balanced and checked by the Founders, wasn’t it?
Look at the recently approved Charter, a first chance to upgrade our current Charter approved last in 1993. Why did the City Council at the last moment take a mini-chainsaw and the silence of a special meeting to make two questions from one Charter Commission final offering to them? What were the reasons? Were words from the current Town Clerk ever offered? Who will publish the reasoning for separating the document into two parts? What is the Mayor’s position regarding two part time paid elected officials who are not affected until 2031? What person is employed to place official news of the City to the general public, especially registered voters, who will face the questions on the ballot? Time will tell.
It’s unimaginable (or at least it should be!) that the SCOTUS is capable of rendering a decision that deprives affected American citizens of their basic Constitutional rights. Indeed, it is unthinkable that the SCOTUS could render a decision that actually puts all Americans at risk of being denied their freedom and their basic rights — all to pursue an inhumane immigration policy crafted by a cruel MAGA/fascist regime. This was an un-Constitutional/illegal decision made by unworthy members of the Court. (This isn’t the America that the Founding Fathers envisioned. This is the nightmare that they hoped the Constitution would preclude…)