LA Rallies Against ICE Surge

by Brandon Cortes Sept. 3, 2026, New Haven Independent

In response to a recent statewide surge in federal immigration enforcement, roughly 70 people rallied outside City Hall on Wednesday evening [Sept. 2] to demand that ICE leave Connecticut.

The rally was organized by the City of New Haven Peace Commission and Unidad Latina en Acción (ULA).

It took place on the same night that nearly 2,000 people marched in Danbury, which has become the center of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in the state.
“Today we are here in solidarity and we are doing a parallel act to what’s going on in Danbury, which is now suffering from ICE raids, but it’s an attack the whole country is suffering,” said John Jairo Lugo, a founding member of ULA. “More than 100 people were being detained, and I feel that it’s time for the people in Connecticut to rise up and do something.”

In his remarks, Lugo laid out a set of demands aimed at Hartford. Chief among them: a $50 million state fund for immigrant legal defense and family protection.

“We are not asking for charity,” Lugo said. “We’re demanding an investment in the families that for decades have helped build Connecticut’s economy.”

[Read the article in its entirety at https://bit.ly/4ApYJHX]