An immigration raid at a Hamden car wash on Wednesday morning left eight people detained, officials said.
Those taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, included the parents of children who were in school at the time of the raid, Hamden Mayor Lauren Garrett said.
鈥淭heir children are in school,鈥� Garrett said at an afternoon press conference. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know which community. We don鈥檛 know how to contact that school. We are still trying to find out how to get in touch with this family so that their kids don鈥檛 go to an empty house when they get off of school.鈥�
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the raid.
鈥淭he actions from the administration and ICE are deplorable, they are disgusting, they are not what we represent in Hamden,鈥� Garrett said. 鈥淲e are here today to stand up for the people of Hamden, for the families that are living in fear because of an inhumane presidency.鈥�
A witness at the press conference, who gave only the first name Rachel, said she saw masked agents in unmarked vehicles making arrests at the car wash.
Rachel said she asked one detained man on the ground if he was okay, at which point an agent threatened her with arrest.
鈥淚 told him that he did not have the right to speak to me that way and that I was an American citizen,鈥� Rachel said.
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who represents the area in Congress, said in a statement that she was working to confirm the 鈥渟afety and status鈥� of those taken.
鈥淭he aggressive tactics used by ICE and endorsed by President Trump have escalated tensions with communities here and across the country, exacerbating fear,鈥� DeLauro said. 鈥淭hey are not making Americans any safer.鈥�
