Norwalk officials condemn ICE activity near police department
Officials said ICE agents entered the parking lot of the Norwalk Police Department on Thursday but were immediately asked to leave by local police. Mayor Harry Rilling said agents returned again Friday morning.
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City leaders spoke out Friday afternoon following recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in the community.
Officials said ICE agents entered the parking lot of the Norwalk Police Department on Thursday but were immediately asked to leave by local police. Mayor Harry Rilling said agents returned again Friday morning.
At a press conference, Rilling, joined by other city officials, criticized ICE’s tactics, including the use of face masks, plain clothes and unmarked vehicles, which he said made agents difficult to identify.
Rilling emphasized that Norwalk police were not involved in any ICE operations in the city over the past several days.
He said the city is working with the state attorney general, police and members of the Common Council to determine how best to protect residents moving forward.
“There’s no one person that is going to be able to assist us in interfering with the immigration and customs enforcement activities,” Rilling said. “The only thing we can do is protect the people who are in our community, make sure they’re not abused, and make sure that their constitutional rights are not violated."
Immigration attorney Alex Meyerovich said the recent uptick in enforcement activity is unprecedented and may signal government overreach.
“This is getting ridiculous,” Meyerovich said. “Not because they’re trying to create some sort of order in the immigration world, it’s just because there are no stop signs, there are no brakes. When there are no brakes, it can go as far as the administration wants.”
