Nineteen protesters were arrested Tuesday during a demonstration in support of Luis Barrios, an undocumented father of four from Derby who is scheduled to be deported this week under President Donald Trump’s expanded immigration enforcement effort.
A crowd of about 100 gathered outside the Abraham A. Ribicoff Federal Building on Main Street said it was inhumane to deport Barrios, who has no criminal record. They said the sanitation worker, who fled violence in his native Guatemala in 1992, should be granted asylum.
“Luis’ family is bracing for the impact of having their father torn away from them,” said Natalie Alexander, a protester from New Haven who was the first to be walked by police into a prisoner transport van. “He is their sole breadwinner. To me it is the moment to demonstrate with our bodies that a system may be legal, but that does not mean it is moral.”
Protesters gathered at about noon and some began blocking access to the building, where the state’s federal immigration office is located, soon after. The remainder held signs and chanted “Let Luis stay!” and “Not one more deportation!”
Police warned protesters they’d be arrested if they continued to block access to the building, and spoke with organizers, but after about an hour, and when it was clear the protesters were staying, officers began making arrests.
Hartford Deputy Chief Brian Foley said the protesters, who locked arms and sat in front of the doors, face charges of criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.
The demonstration, which lasted about two hours, drew a crowd of onlookers that included immigrants who had to miss appointments. Building security had locked the doors after the protesters blocked them.
Alex Martinez, an attorney from Stamford, was there with a client who had a 1 p.m. interview as part of her application for a green card. The protesters were “defeating the whole reason for the protest,” by not letting immigrants get to their appointments, he said.
Martinez said his client had been waiting more than a year for the interview, and because of the demonstration, it would likely be postponed, perhaps for another six months.
Meanwhile, Barrios’ attorney, Erin O’Neil-Baker, said Tuesday she had received no response to an April 17 motion filed to reopen his case. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy this week sent letters to the Trump administration asking for Barrios to be granted a reprieve. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, whose district includes Derby, sent a similar letter last week.
Barrios was ordered to be removed from the U.S. in 1998 when, after applying for asylum, he failed to show up for a hearing. He came back onto immigration authorities’ radar in 2011 when he was pulled over by state police for a broken taillight and turned over to federal agents. But Barrios was granted a stay of removal that has been renewed each year until now.
The difference, his attorney and supporters say, is a new presidential administration led by Trump, who has vowed to crack down on unlawful immigration.
Barrios is seeking a new asylum claim but has been unsuccessful so far in getting a hearing. In court documents Barrios explained how his wife’s family has been targeted by violence in the Central American country and said he fears for his life if he returns.
In an emotional video posted to Facebook, Barrios pleaded with ICE to let him stay and grant him a hearing, asking for “another chance, another opportunity.”
“I am not a dangerous person,” he said. “My kids, they are not dangerous kids.”
O’Neil-Baker said Barrios and his family have been overwhelmed by the support they’ve received and she is hopeful that a last-minute decision will allow him to remain in the country.
“Sometimes, yes, at the very last minute a stay is granted,” she said. “Mr. Barrios has personally experienced this before.”
In 2011, Barrios was prepared to board a flight to Guatemala when he got word that a stay had been granted. But his family is “preparing for the worst,” O’Neil-Baker said. Barrios has a ticket for an early-morning flight on Thursday out of John F. Kennedy Airport.
“Mr. Barrios really does not have any solid plans for if and when he does arrive in Guatemala,” she said. “He’s focusing on the here and now but he’s also trying to prepare for leaving the U.S.”
