A day after Donald Trump signed an executive order promising to revoke federal funding from sanctuary cities, residents of New Haven, Conn. rallied against the Trump regime. Over 150 people gathered on the steps of City Hall to defend immigrants and New Haven’s status as a sanctuary city. A series of inspiring community leaders addressed the crowd.
Kika Matos of the Center for Community Change (CCC), an activist group that seeks to amplify the voices of low-income people of color, stated, “President Trump is trying to force local police to start rounding up people for deportation.” The crowd replied with loud booing and jeers. Matos continued, “We are not going to let that happen! We are gathered here today to tell President Trump, hell no! And to let him know that in this community, our community, we’ll do everything we can to stand up and fight back. We won’t turn our backs on our immigrant family. Not now, not today, not ever.”
In her comments on local police, Matos alluded to Trump’s other stated plans regarding immigration. In addition to his attack on sanctuary cities, Trump aims to revive the Secure Communities (SComm) program and extend the reach of section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Both of these programs deputize local police to act as immigration agents, permitting them to question residents about their immigration status and turn undocumented people over to ICE.
Later in the event, Fatima Rojas, a community leader and PTA President at Columbus Family Academy, spoke on her experiences as an immigrant in New Haven. “I have lived for thirteen years with my husband here in this community and I am here today to strongly say ‘No’ to the executive orders that Donald Trump signed this week… New Haven is a sanctuary city because we welcome immigrants. I am proud to have my Elm City Resident Card… Back in 2006, we fought so hard to create the General Order of the police in New Haven in order to have a safer community. We were not afraid to denounce the situation so we are going to fight back today.”
Rojas referenced New Haven’s history of progress in the struggle to defend the rights of all immigrants. The New Haven Police Department has a long-standing General Order that officers will not ask people about their immigration status. The immigrant community and its allies won this policy through significant struggle. Additionally, in 2007, the community succeeded in pushing the local government to create the Elm City Resident Card. The card allows all city residents access to local banks and public services regardless of their status. Shortly after the card was announced, ICE performed a raid on the city, in what many deemed an attempt to intimidate the immigrant community and deter further action. Since then, immigrants and activist groups such as CCC, Unidad Latina en Acción and Junta for Progressive Action, who all featured speakers at the event, have continued their activities.
The rally also served as a press conference for the NHPD and local and state politicians. The NHPD promised to honor the General Order, and the politicians indicated that city officials and school system employees would defend the community against ICE. Though all involved pledged their support to the immigrant community, the involvement of the mayor, Assistant Police Chief and others also exposed serious contradictions presented by the event. Mayor Harp and the NHPD have failed to address concerns of police brutality against New Haven residents regardless of immigration status. Their promises are critical to the safety of immigrant communities, but the movement must continue to independently push toward progress both inside City Hall and out in the streets.
