Press Releases
07/12/2019
Governor Lamont Encourages Families Concerned About Separation Through ICE Raids to Utilize State Toolkit
Connecticut’s Family Preparedness Plan Contains Useful Resources for Guardians Seeking Stability for Their Children
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont is encouraging families in Connecticut who are concerned about separation due to raids by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) to utilize a toolkit offered by the state that provides a user-friendly, step-by-step guide for parents who seek to have a plan in place for the safe care of their children in the event that they are detained or deported.
Available in nine languages, the State of Connecticut’s Family Preparedness Plan includes a guide on steps people can take on their own – without the help of an attorney – to develop a child care plan, and includes important forms and documents that families can fill out and store in a safe place where they can be accessed if needed. The plan also includes information on where to find immigration legal assistance, and guidance on how to avoid immigration scams.
The toolkit can be downloaded online as a PDF document through the Office of the Governor’s website by visiting portal.ct.gov/FamilyPreparedness.
There is no cost to complete any of the forms contained in the toolkit, and they may be completed without the involvement of attorneys or any court.
It has been electronically distributed to a number of partnering organizations throughout Connecticut, including town governments, school districts, libraries, legal service organizations, and the United Way 2-1-1. Other groups are encouraged to download it and share it with interested parties who may find it useful.
“For many families right now, the fear of separation and detainment is tangible and all too real,” Governor Lamont said. “Many children involved in these situations are United States citizens themselves. We want to ensure that parents know they have the ability to designate a standby guardian to prevent their children from being placed in state care in the event they become separated.”
“From ICE raids, to separating families at the border, locking children in cages, and weaponizing the census, the Trump administration has created a climate of fear in immigrant communities and communities of color in Connecticut and across the nation,” Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz said. “Following yesterday’s order, we continue to be alarmed and disturbed by the president’s use of the power of information held by federal agencies as a tactic to insight fear across the nation.”
Attorney General William Tong has joined coalitions of attorneys general in challenging the President’s national emergency declaration to build a border wall; blocking the president from adding a citizenship question to the 2020 Census; defending the human rights of immigrant children in ICE detention; opposing a proposed rule that would deny housing assistance to families that include any undocumented immigrants; and has worked to protect and defend immigrants and immigrant families in Connecticut.
“From the moment he announced his candidacy, the president has pursued a policy of cruelty and has done everything he can to instill fear and chaos into our communities,” Attorney General Tong said. “He has separated families, invaded our cities to round up immigrants, and tried to use the census to frighten immigrants and people of color. His campaign of fear is intended to weaken our communities and defeat the rule of law. The Attorney General's Office will keep fighting against these cruel and inhumane policies, to keep families together, and to ensure that every person is counted.”
“We must work day in and out to counteract the fear and anxiety this administration has created,” Secretary of the State Denise Merrill said. “While the administration sows fear of deportation and immigration raids, we work to ensure that families know their rights. When the administration spreads doubt and misinformation designed to create a census undercount, we redouble our efforts to accurately count every person in Connecticut. The destructive policies of this administration risk doing great harm to the most vulnerable members of our community. I’m proud that Connecticut is standing up to protect our friends and neighbors.”
“We will not tolerate the shameful rounding up of families, the separation of children from parents and ruling by fear,” State Comptroller Kevin Lembo said. “The federal administration has fully lost its way, but Connecticut will remain a place of safety and hope for all families and children. I commend Governor Lamont for his leadership in protecting families and Attorney General Tong for his ongoing fights to uphold the law and hold our federal government accountable.”
“Everyday we awake to experience another attempt to harm individual rights by curbing liberty and reversing decades of progress that bettered this nation,” State Treasurer Shawn T. Wooden said. “We stand today, in Bridgeport, and in communities across America, with all those who embrace our shared democratic values – which have long welcomed immigrants from across the globe to our shores. We believe that our nation is greater, and stronger, when we work to promote and protect freedom for all people, regardless of background, faith, and color. That is the story of America, and the one that will far outlast those who seek to divide and oppress.”
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