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HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) — On Saturday, President Donald Trump announced he would delay the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids that were planned to take place Sunday in 10 major U.S. cities.
In response to that, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin sent a letter to ICE on Monday, opposing any potential action targeted at undocumented families.
In the letter, Bronin also requested that ICE refrain from impersonating the Hartford Police Dept.
“On behalf of the City of Hartford, I am writing to reiterate that this kind of enforcement will not improve public safety in Hartford, and even the consideration and threat of this kind of enforcement is damaging to public trust and creates unnecessary fear within our immigrant communities,” the letter said, in part.
He goes on to say the potential enforcement actions make no sense, citing ICE as saying the actions in Hartford “are targeted to prioritize people who pose a risk to the community.”
“To prioritize deporting undocumented families who contribute to our community is not only a waste of resources – it is inconsistent with ICE’s stated mission,” Bronin said.
On Saturday, President Trump took to Twitter, saying “At the request of Democrats, I have delayed the Illegal Immigration Removal Process (Deportation) for two weeks to see if the Democrats and Republicans can get together and work out a solution to the Asylum and Loophole problems at the Southern Border. If not, Deportations start!”
Earlier in the day, he defended the raids, arguing that targeted families have been running from the law.
His letter concludes saying “I recognize that you follow the direction of superiors within DHS. And even if you do not share my view that immigrants are our strength as a city and a nation, I am asking that, at the very least, you do not operate in a manner that interferes with the City of Hartford’s relationship with our residents. It would be unacceptable for any ICE officials to misrepresent their identity again by posing as Hartford police officers, or to use any City of Hartford facilities without prior authorization.”
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