ICE calls the courthouse arrest common sense
U.S. Immigration and Customs EnforcementICE spokesperson, in a statement to reporters
An ICE spokesperson defended the Meriden courthouse arrest, saying courthouse arrests are common sense, conserve resources, and are safer for officers and the community.
Responding to
Arresting Welington Leonel Almara-Diaz inside the Meriden courthouse was appropriate because he already had a final order of removal, and making the arrest there conserved law-enforcement resources and was safer for officers and the community.
“The ability of law enforcement to make arrests of criminal illegal aliens in courthouses is common sense. It conserves valuable law enforcement resources because they already know where a target will be. It is also safer for our officers and the community. These illegal aliens have gone through security and been screened to not have any weapons.”
Reporting
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Did ICE's conduct at the Meriden, Connecticut, courthouse violate the state's TRUST Act?
On September 23, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, some wearing face coverings, entered a courthouse in Meriden, Connecticut, and took Welington Leonel Almara-Diaz into custody. Activists confronted the agents outside the courthouse entrance, asking why they were violating the state's TRUST Act, which limits immigration enforcement at Connecticut courthouses; sources disagree on whether the law's separate ban on masked law enforcement was already in effect that day. Judicial marshals moved activists away from the entrance; one woman was pepper-sprayed and another fell and was taken to a hospital by ambulance, though sources also disagree on who pushed her. The Connecticut Judicial Branch confirmed marshals had received a warrant of removal or deportation before the arrest and said it was reviewing whether state law was followed. ICE said the arrest was appropriate because Almara-Diaz had a 2023 removal order, and said judicial marshals impeded the arrest; the Judicial Branch later said its review did not support that. State officials, including Attorney General William Tong and Governor Ned Lamont's office, said ICE's conduct at the courthouse was improper. The dispute is whether ICE's conduct at the courthouse, including its use of face coverings and how the operation and marshals' cooperation with it were carried out, complied with the TRUST Act.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Reports an ICE spokesperson's statement defending the Meriden arrest and a brief quote from Governor Lamont.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
A partisan outlet that says it obtained a full statement from DHS and ICE. We use it only for the portion of the statement that overlaps verbatim with WSHU's independently reported excerpt, and for the identification of Welington Leonel Almara-Diaz, which the Hartford Courant separately corroborated. We did not verify the article's uncorroborated claim that a marshal threatened an officer, and we do not repeat that specific claim.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The statement came after activists confronted agents outside the courthouse and after Connecticut officials said they were reviewing whether the operation complied with the TRUST Act.
After the quotation
The statement did not address whether the agents were permitted to wear face coverings inside the courthouse under state law.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The statement argues the courthouse arrest and the practice behind it were appropriate and safer, which defends the conduct rather than criticizing or denying it.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Connecticut Judicial Branch
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Hands Off Connecticut calls the marshals' cooperation with ICE "an unforgivable act of collaboration"
Hands Off Connecticut
“When federal agents barged into the state courthouse in Meriden, they did not just abduct another community member, they fundamentally challenged the legitimacy of our state government. Marshals opened the doors wide for ICE while pushing the citizens out of their own courthouse. ICE went so far as to pepper spray bystanders and a marshal assaulted another, causing one to be taken from the court by ambulance to the ER. This is an unforgivable act of collaboration, for which we demand justice.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "ICE calls the courthouse arrest common sense". First published: 2026-09-29. Last updated: 2026-09-29. https://disputeindex.com/events/3271-an-ice-spokesperson-defended-the-meriden-courthouse-arrest