SEVEN UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS ARRESTED BY ICE IN NEWINGTON; LOCAL AND FEDERAL OFFICIALS REACT

Optimo Car Wash. Photo: Optimo Car Wash, Facebook page.

Seven undocumented employees at Optimo Car Wash in Newington were arrested Saturday morning by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to authorities. Town officials said they were not involved in the operation and were only notified after the arrests took place.

Newington Mayor Jon Trister issued a statement expressing support for the town’s immigrant communities, saying the city remains a welcoming place where neighbors look out for one another.

“We are deeply concerned by this incident. In the United States, everyone, regardless of their immigration status or where they were born, has the right to due process and to fundamental protections that cannot and must not be denied,” Trister said. “This is a guarantee for any person in this country afforded by the United States Constitution. The recent actions of ICE by the federal government are designed to intimidate and terrorize immigrants and their families, and we will not stand idly by.”

U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., released a statement noting that no local officials were informed before the arrests and that no details about those detained had been made public.

“These raids are not about safety. They are about fear. They undermine trust, divide our communities, and trample on the very principles of justice and fairness that define our nation. This must stop, and it must stop now,” he said.

Larson criticized the operation as harmful to community safety and reiterated his support for the No Secret Police Act, a bill that would require ICE agents to identify themselves and prohibit the use of masks during enforcement actions.

From Aug. 12 to 15, ICE Boston, in coordination with federal law enforcement partners, conducted a four-day operation in Connecticut. Agents said the effort targeted transnational criminal organizations, gangs, and serious offenders. The operation led to the arrest of 65 undocumented immigrants, including 29 individuals who had been convicted of or charged with crimes in the U.S., such as kidnapping, assault, drug offenses, weapons violations, and sex crimes. According to ICE, others arrested were identified as members of transnational gangs or had criminal records in their home countries.

“Sanctuary legislation like Connecticut’s Trust Act only endangers the communities it claims to protect. Such laws force law enforcement professionals to release criminal alien offenders back into the very communities they have already victimized,” said Patricia H. Hyde, acting Field Office Director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston.

The U.S. Department of Justice also released a list of states, cities, and counties it says have laws or policies that obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration laws. Connecticut was among those named.

“Sanctuary policies impede law enforcement and put American citizens at risk by design,” said U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice will continue bringing litigation against sanctuary jurisdictions and work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to eradicate these harmful policies across the country.”


“I will continue to stand with our immigrant neighbors and work with my colleagues in Congress to hold ICE accountable and ensure that our Constitution and the rule of law are respected,” Larson added.