NORWALK, Conn. — A Norwalk activist group has asked Gov. Ned Lamont to take three steps to help families affected by immigration arrests and to enforce state laws on federal agents.
Good Trouble Indivisible Norwalk sent the letter Oct. 8. Dozens of groups and hundreds of people signed it, including several Norwalk City Council members, three Board of Education members and local clergy.
The letter calls the situation a “humanitarian crisis.” It says masked federal agents are taking people off Connecticut streets and moving them out of state within days, before local lawyers can help.
Travis Hardy, a steering committee member who helped write the letter, said the group acted because of a rise in activity by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
“ICE activity has really picked up in Connecticut over the last couple of months since August,” Hardy said. He said Norwalk was “directly targeted.”
The three requests
First, the group wants Lamont to propose $25 million from the state’s Federal Cuts Response Fund for legal help and emergency aid. The letter says about $262.5 million of the $550 million fund has not been assigned. Only the governor can propose how the money is used.
Hardy said this request could move fastest. When someone is detained, he said, “a household often loses their main income overnight.” Families can struggle within days to pay rent, buy groceries or afford diapers.
The group wants the money to go through community organizations, not state agencies. Hardy said those groups “have already built trust with the immigrant community.” Families may be afraid to deal with the government, he said.
Second, the letter asks Lamont to direct a state agency to build a statewide system for reporting ICE incidents. Anyone could report a detention or a violation of state law. Hardy said rapid response networks already track ICE in real time, but their volunteers are stretched thin. A state system could collect the information so officials can act on it.
Third, the group wants the State Police to document alleged violations by any law enforcement officer working in Connecticut, including federal agents. Those records would go to the attorney general and the state inspector general. The letter also asks for an audit of whether license plate reader data has been used for immigration purposes, which state law bans.
Laws not yet used
Lamont signed a law this year that bans masks on federal agents and requires them to show badges. The letter says the mask and badge rules took effect in May. A limit on arrests in protected places, such as courthouses, took effect Oct. 1.
The letter says none of the accountability tools in the law has been used. It blames two problems: no state office records what happens, and the person arrested often has no lawyer.
Hardy said agents are still wearing masks. The letter points to a Sept. 23 arrest at the Meriden courthouse. It says masked agents used a federal deportation warrant, not one signed by a judge, while court marshals cleared the room. The letter says one woman was pepper-sprayed and another was taken away by ambulance. The state Judicial Branch said it was still reviewing whether state law was followed, according to the letter.
The letter also notes that Danbury’s mayor has said the mask law has “no teeth.” Hardy agreed. “The laws that the governor has passed are a great starting point,” he said, but the state needs ways to enforce them.
Hardy said masks make it hard to hold agents accountable. He added that masks also make it easier for others to pretend to be ICE agents.
The letter says three-quarters of people ICE detained in Connecticut in 2025 had no criminal conviction.
What’s next
Hardy said Thursday that the group had not heard from the governor’s office. “He’s super busy,” Hardy said, “and we’re here ready to support him.”
The letter asks for a meeting with Lamont’s office. Hardy encouraged residents who see ICE activity to alert neighbors and to contact local rapid response groups or the ACLU.
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