No Illegal ICE Detentions at Tweed New Haven Airport!
By New Haven Immigrants Coalition
The New Haven Immigrants Coalition, Singing Resistance, New Haven Rising, New Haven Federation of Teachers and others held a press conference on Oct. 21 at Tweed New Haven Airport Authority with the demand that Tweed follow federal and state laws and take every step within its power to stand against ICE and support immigrants.
Following are excerpts of the NHIC press release:
The New Haven Immigrants Coalition (NHIC) calls upon Tweed New Haven Airport Authority (TNHAA) to follow federal regulations and state law.
“Tweed New Haven Airport Authority should follow the law and stand firmly in support of its undocumented neighbors,” the coalition said. “ICE is constrained by CT law and may not detain a member of the public in municipal spaces without a judicial warrant. No human being should be subjected to the dehumanizing and violent tactics such as we have seen at Tweed in the past months. Furthermore, federal regulations require TNHAA to verify that ICE agents go through rigorous background checks and training before they are granted access to the airport. It is incumbent upon TNHAA to ensure these background checks have taken place and are accurate.”
In the past few months two students were detained at Tweed. Instead of studying, sports practice and spending time with friends, these students found themselves far from their friends and family, sleeping on cold concrete floors and struggling to navigate a system of detention camps designed to humiliate and dehumanize them. Additionally, two other members of our community were similarly detained and separated from their families, friends and work. These tactics harm our communities in every way.
The coalition outlined its specific demands that Tweed comply with state and federal law, including that Tweed:
- Ensure every ICE officer granted unrestricted access at Tweed has undergone a full background check;
- Maintain a comprehensive identification system for ICE agents;
- Administer training, including on Public Act 26-14 which prohibits civil arrests without a judicial warrant, before granting ICE access to secured areas;
- Maintain records of all ICE arrests at Tweed.
The New Haven Immigrants Coalition is a grassroots coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to building power among immigrants in the Greater New Haven Area to get organized and stay safe in the face of ongoing ICE brutality. No human being is illegal!