NEW BRITAIN – Thumbs up and honking of horns from motorists were frequent on Saturday afternoon, July 25th, at the corner of Corbin Avenue and West Main Street at a “pop up” protest organized by Indivisible Greater New Britain.
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero were killed during Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) involved car pursuits this month in Texas and Maine. New Britain area residents turned out for the “Justice for Johan and Lorenzo Stop ICE Now” rally, a protest that occurred in hundreds of communities on Saturday.
“We’re protesting against the abuses and the killings done by ICE,” said Mary-Joan Forstbauer of New Britain, a leader of Indivisible Greater New Britain. “Neighbors came out with signs and flags to say clearly: hate won’t make American great,” said organizers in a statement posted to Indivisible Greater New Britain’s Facebook page. “This country was built by immigrants, and we must end ICE abuses and demand dignity for every person.”
In New Britain, the Common Council previously adopted a resolution addressing “concerns related to federal immigration enforcement that have created uncertainty among some residents, potentially discouraging individuals from accessing essential city services or engaging with local institutions.”
The resolution states that “nothing in this resolution is intended to interfere with federal authority or require any city employee to act beyond the scope of their lawful duties.” The resolution, adopted amid widespread protests against federal ICE violence and human rights abuses last winter, reinforces Connecticut’s Trust Act first enacted in 2013 “to establish clear guidance about when state and local law enforcement would respond to requests from federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) for information or assistance with ICE detainers” according to the CT Attorney General’s office. In 2025 and again this year the Legislature added more safeguards and by allowing individuals to sue ICE agents for disregarding due process and violating constitutional rights.
Indivisible Greater New Britain say it plans future direct action and advocacy against federal ICE abuses and in support of upholding the rule of law and due process rights. For more information email: indivisiblegreaternewbritain@gmail.com.
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John McNamara is an Alderman from Ward 4 and the Common Council Majority Leader.
NB Politicus 