Danbury delays ICE vote
By Eugene Driscoll | STAFF WRITER
01/03/2008

DANBURY - The Common Council did not vote Thursday on a controversial proposal to enroll some city police officers in a federal program run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Instead, Democratic Common Council member Paul Rotello made a motion to send the issue to an ad hoc committee for further review.

"It's apparent we need a full and frank exchange of information," Rotello said before sending the issue to committee.

Rotello's move means the full Common Council will take the matter up again, mostly likely at a meeting later this month, then hold a vote in February.

The move came after a 30-minute public comment period at the start of the Common Council meeting during which residents spoke for and against Danbury's participation in an ICE program that would have some police officers receive training in immigration law enforcement.

Those who spoke in favor of the proposal said illegal immigrants are running amok in Danbury, straining city services.

Supporters of the proposal said the federal government has done nothing about immigration issues, forcing cities to take charge.

Resident Gary Falkenthal urged the Common Council to join the ICE program to send a message to the foreign countries from which illegal immigrants come.

"That message has to be that illegal immigrants are (no) longer welcome in Danbury," Falkenthal said. "If they choose to break the immigration laws to come here, they are going to wake up every morning wondering if today is the day

they are going to get caught. They are going to walk down the street looking over their shoulders wondering if the ICE man is coming."
Other residents urged the Common Council to delay voting on the issue, saying the ICE program could put legal immigrants at risk and cause all immigrants to fear the police.

Those who spoke against the proposal asked for specific data from the Common Council linking illegal immigrants to local crimes and for more information on how much illegal immigration costs Danbury taxpayers.

Resident Patricia Bowen said the ICE proposal should not be decided by the Common Council. Instead, she said the issue should be put to a citywide vote.

"It is the jurisdiction of the federal government, and they have been remiss in not taking a stand so that we, as citizens, are divided against each other," Bowen said. "We, who see each other in our churches, in our schools, shopping and on the street."

Twenty people stood outside City Hall at 7 p.m. holding signs urging the Common Council to reject the ICE proposal.

The Common Council chambers itself was standing room only, and many who wanted to speak did not get a chance.

A woman requested that Mayor Mark Boughton extend the public comment period.

"How many times have you had this many people in the room?" the woman asked.

Boughton said the Danbury charter prohibits the Council from extending public comment.

While the city has not drafted a formal memo outlining the ICE training, reports given by city staff to the Common Council say the training would give certain Danbury police officers authorization to "investigate, identify, apprehend, detain and process ... individuals who have violated criminal immigration law," according to a letter from a city lawyer.

The authorization would kick in after the officer came into contact with the person through a "lawful inquiry and arrest for violation of local or state law," according to the letter.

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