From Ken Dixon, CT Post
The state’s top judicial official on Tuesday issued guidance aimed at preventing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from masking themselves and hunting for possible targets for arrest and deportation inside state courthouses.
Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice Raheem L. Mullins made the announcement during a rare appearance in the state Capitol, stressing that the policy, identical to recent rules in Connecticut’s federal courts, was developed after conferring with ICE, which has been involved in several high-profile incidents, particularly in Danbury and Stamford with agents wearing masks to shield their faces from the public.
“The policy I issue today is directed at keeping our courthouses safe,” Mullins said. “Judges, staff, litigants, members of the public — they all must be able to conduct their business in our courthouses without fear of disruption. The policy itself simply prohibits warrantless arrests in the public spaces of our courthouses. And if law enforcement is to come in and conduct their activities, to be doing so without masks. I will say that this policy wasn’t arrived at haphazardly. We did discuss with multiple agencies and people, including ICE. I’m hoping for no pushback, but I don’t know.”
“We’re doing everything we can to keep our state courthouses safe,” Gov. Ned Lamont said during a 20-minute news conference with Mullins and state Rep. Steve Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, co-chairman of the law-writing legislative Judiciary Committee.
…“Justice should not depend on one’s immigration status,” (Stafstrom) said. “If you are a victim of a crime; if you are someone who believes you’ve been taken advantage of by an unscrupulous creditor; if you’re someone who believes they are wrongfully being evicted from their house, or someone who seeks a divorce from an abusive spouse, you should be able to enter a courthouse in this state free of fear that when you try to achieve justice, a masked, unmarked individual is going to grab you and pull you out of the courthouse based on your perceived immigration status.”
Full story here
