This week on Capitol Report, Tom Dudchik and the panel weigh in on Danbury, Connecticut, becoming “ground zero” for ICE activity after more than 50 people were taken into custody over a few days.

The panel is also discussing a Meta settlement resolving allegations that it deliberately designed algorithms that are addicting to children, and Bridgeport ballot fraud defendants not taking a plea deal in their cases.

Originally Posted By Blaster3094:
What has to happen? Do a few Democrats or their families need to get ass raped by an illegal? Murdered and tortured?

If I had ICE in my neighborhood I would be out there offering them free soft drinks and sandwiches.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) requested a meeting with Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin and Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) David Venturella after a surge in ICE activity in Connecticut, the senator’s office said.

The request comes a day after Blumenthal condemned ICE operations in Danbury, which he said targeted parents dropping their children off at school as well as people going to work.

The senator said that ICE’s activities have “showcased cruelty and brutality” in areas including parks, near an elementary school, and outside a daycare center.

In a partial statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said, “To be clear: ICE does not target schools, but we will not allow criminals to hide in our nation’s schools and put the safety of children at risk.”

In his letter, Blumenthal asked if the department has a quota system for daily or monthly arrests, if DHS has received complaints against ICE agents for use of force, if ICE agents were wearing body cameras, and how ICE agents identify and target individuals.

He also requested the names of those detained in Connecticut, if any were citizens or had legal resident status, and if any were injured while being detained.

“Over the past week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have sown fear and panic among parents, children, and workers as they detained scores of people in Danbury and other towns in Connecticut,” Blumenthal said in his letter. “What should have been a time of excitement and community as children in Connecticut return to school has quickly turned into a time of genuine terror.”

DHS claims that 70% of immigrants without legal status who have been arrested by ICE have criminal convictions or pending criminal charges, just in the United States.

Blumenthal’s full letter to Mullin and Venturella can be read here.

Originally Posted By sbhaven:
Blummy doing a media stunt so he can wag his finger in Mullin and Venturella's faces when he meets with them.

Blumenthal requests meeting with DHS secretary after ICE activity in Danbury

There was more protesting in Danbury after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) increased its presence in the city one week ago, while a Connecticut program for undocumented immigrants receives criticism from lawmakers in another state.

Chants, signs, and marching were characteristics of a large protest in Danbury on Wednesday. The protest featured closed businesses and some people refusing to work or buy goods in town.

The purpose was the show the impact immigrants have on the local economy.

“We are not here just telling ICE how to do their job, just do it better,” event organizer Adrino Rodriguez said. “We do not want them going around and kicking people on the floor, Tazing people, and sending them to the hospital. They are allowed to do the job but do it right.”

This all after Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves said more than 70 people were detained by ICE last week.

“We want this to stop. I’ve always said, if we’re going to get serious criminals I, somebody who grew up undocumented, will stand behind you. Show us that that’s what you’re doing,” Mayor Alves said. “But, when you’re doing the racial profiling looks, it looks like you’re stopping random people, what we saw last week, that’s not what people in this community want.”

“Their businesses are literally on the verge of devastation because of the fear, even terror that ICE has created. Cruelty is the point,” U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said.

Marchers from around the state stuck around to hear speeches from the leaders.

“We’d like to see more unity, and that was part of it, when the whole community comes together and decides to act as one,” Watertown resident Joe Polletta said.

The state’s Republican Chairman Ben Proto said that he believes the Trust Act has led to problems across the state.

He released the following statement:

“I would suggest that while everyone deserves respect, American citizens, America, and our laws deserve just as much, if not more, respect. It is important to understand that ICE is engaged in CT in the way it is because of Governor Lamont and the CT Democrats. Prior to the adoption of the Trust Act, when local law enforcement, like the Danbury PD, were aware of an individual who was here illegally and who had committed criminal acts, or who had a detainer or warrant, they would contact ICE and work with ICE to ensure that the person was arrested in an appropriate and safe manner.

“Unfortunately, when public officials allow emotion to dictate policy, in this case, their hatred of President Trump, it brings about poor laws that aren’t designed to promote a public good, but to placate a political base; you create what Governor Lamont and CT Democrats have created, chaos. Governor Lamont can end this now, call the legislature back into session, repeal the Trust Act, allow local and state law enforcement to work with federal law enforcement, and we will see a substantial reduction in these situations.”

An Ohio U.S. Senator is accusing the state of Connecticut of issuing a drive-only license to an undocumented immigrant who fatally struck a 29-year-old Ohio resident over the weekend.

United States Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) sent a letter to Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, dated Sept. 1, stating, “A 29-year-old Ohioan was killed because an illegal alien ran a stop sign.”

The crash occurred around 4:13 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 29, in Fulton County, Ohio. Washington G. Naula Ochoa, 34, who was residing in Perrysburg, was driving a pickup truck when he failed to yield at a stop sign and crashed into 29-year-old Austin J. Karr Grimes, resulting in his death.

Naula Ochoa was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide and a stop sign violation, according to local reporting.

Connecticut law allows undocumented individuals who are 16 years of age or older to obtain a drive-only license if they are unable to establish lawful presence in the United States. The “drive-only” nature of the permit means it can not be used for federal identification or to vote.

“States including Connecticut offer drive-only licenses to undocumented residents to help ensure all drivers are trained, tested, and know the rules of the road,” Lamont said in a written statement Wednesday. “This reduces hit-and-run accidents and brings more drivers into the insurance system who might otherwise be driving uninsured. Undocumented residents in many states already need to drive for work, school, and daily life; it’s safer for everyone when that driving happens within a regulated system.”

Applicants submit background checks and are not eligible for the license if they have been convicted of a felony in the state.

Connecticut is one of 19 states that allows immigrants who are unlawfully in the United States to drive legally, as of reporting from April 2025.

According to Sen. Moreno, Connecticut has issued more than 60,000 drive-only licenses to undocumented immigrants.

“I am deeply saddened by the appalling loss of a young, innocent Ohioan at the hands of a criminal illegal alien and praying for the recovery of those injured, including a small child,” Moreno said in a statement.

He further demanded that Lamont apologize to the victim’s family, which he did in a Wednesday statement.

“My heart goes out to the family and friends of Austin J. Karr Grimes, and to all families who lose a loved one to a motor vehicle accident,” Lamont said. “Drivers must be held accountable for violating traffic laws, especially when it causes a tragic loss of life.”

Moreno demanded that Lamont answer the following questions:

• How many undocumented immigrants has Connecticut issued a drive-only license to as of Sept. 1?
• How many undocumented immigrants with drive-only licenses have committed a crime?
• How many undocumented immigrants with drive-only licenses have registered to vote and/or voted?
• How much does it cost taxpayers to issue drive-only licenses to undocumented immigrants?

Connecticut State Sen. Rob Sampson (R-16) released a statement, saying in part:

“I have opposed Connecticut’s drive-only license program since the day it was first proposed, debating against it repeatedly and introducing legislation year after year to repeal it. I have likewise been one of the legislature’s strongest and most consistent opponents of the Trust Act and Connecticut’s broader sanctuary-state policies.“

You can read Sampson’s full statement here.