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In a public notice posted Saturday on its Facebook page, the City of Danbury Police Department rushed to reassure the community that it is not working with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
The department labeled a social media claim by a group known as “Danbury al dia” as false and “reckless,” insisting it has never allowed ICE into its headquarters or shared information to help identify illegal aliens.
“None of this is true,” the department wrote. “The purpose of this false post is unknown, but it is reckless and undermines the hard work Danbury Police Department members do every day to build and maintain positive relationships with all our residents.”
Officials further pledged continued compliance with Connecticut’s Trust Act, the state's sanctuary law that hamstrings local police from cooperating with ICE on immigration detainers in many cases. “We want to reassure our entire community that we are aware of the provisions and prohibitions outlined in the CT Trust Act. We have complied with this law since its inception and will continue to do so,” the post stated. It closed by affirming that sworn and non-sworn members “are here to protect and serve ALL of our community members, regardless of immigration status.”
That last line should give every law-abiding resident pause.
Just weeks earlier, Danbury police arrested Melissa Esperanza Ramirez Romero, a 27-year-old criminal illegal alien from Mexico who has lived in Connecticut most of her life without legal status. On July 13, Ramirez drove her Jeep Compass, blood-alcohol content nearly twice the legal limit at 0.14 and testing positive for cannabis, across the double yellow lines on Sugar Hollow Road. She slammed head-on into a motorcycle carrying off-duty Bridgeport Police Officer Cooper Whiteside, 38, and his girlfriend Brittany Islami, 34, a mother of three. Both died at the scene from blunt-force trauma. Ramirez faced charges including two counts of second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle and DUI, and a possible charge of driving without a license.
ICE lodged a detainer against her on July 26, with the Department of Homeland Security confirming she is “a criminal illegal alien with charges for Vehicular Manslaughter and DUI.” She remains in custody.
The case quickly descended into chaos after people wondered whether Ramirez had voted. An alleged arrest warrant mix-up allegedly involving the same name and the same birthday led to confusion with a U.S. citizen Melissa in New Britain who was legally registered to vote. Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas seized on the episode, blasting “reckless” reporting and claiming the citizen faced death threats. New Britain police later said they located that woman, who told officers she was safe and not receiving threats—directly undercutting Thomas’s narrative. By August 9, Thomas pivoted and directly blamed Danbury Police for the warrant error that fueled the confusion.
This is the same Danbury Police Department now racing to the microphones to declare that any rumor of coordination with ICE is “reckless,” and to double down on Trust Act compliance. The Trust Act is precisely what prevents local officers from routinely notifying federal authorities about illegal aliens who commit crimes. It prioritizes the “fear of ICE” felt by some residents (including illegal aliens themsevles) over the safety of the entire community—including the officers and civilians who share the roads with people like Ramirez.
The administrator of the longstanding “Danbury al dia” page, Walter Garcia, quickly distanced his group from the claim. He noted there are “many groups with the same name” that make posts without verifying information, and assured followers that “Danbury Police and CT State Police do not work with ICE.”
Police described the original post as inaccurate, however that characterization is now in dispute: Facebook influencer Mike Ortiz posted that moderators of a Latino community group confirmed “Danbury PD coordination with ICE” to him via direct message.
Legal immigration is a cornerstone of this nation. People who follow the rules, learn English, work hard, and assimilate strengthen Connecticut. Illegal entry, especially when followed by drunk driving that kills a police officer and a mother of three, does the opposite. When local police publicly distance themselves from ICE and promise to treat immigration status as irrelevant, they signal that criminal aliens need not fear federal consequences for serious offenses. That message does not protect the community. It endangers it.
The far more reckless posture here is the one that treats cooperation with federal immigration enforcement on criminal aliens as a scandal rather than a basic public-safety obligation. Danbury residents—legal immigrants and citizens alike—deserve better than official reassurances that prioritize status over the rule of law.
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