Mini Docs
Separation: How ICE enforcement is affecting kids, families in CT
Special | 16m 18sVideo has Closed Captions
As federal immigration agents make arrests, CT children and families are feeling the effects.
As federal immigration agents make arrests, Connecticut children and families are feeling the effects. Hear from 13-year-old Monse and 16-year-old Kevin, two teenagers whose parents have been deported by ICE, as well as legal experts who talk about what’s happening on the ground across the state – and how family separations are affecting children and their mental health.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Mini Docs is a local public television program presented by CPTV
Mini Docs
Separation: How ICE enforcement is affecting kids, families in CT
Special | 16m 18sVideo has Closed Captions
As federal immigration agents make arrests, Connecticut children and families are feeling the effects. Hear from 13-year-old Monse and 16-year-old Kevin, two teenagers whose parents have been deported by ICE, as well as legal experts who talk about what’s happening on the ground across the state – and how family separations are affecting children and their mental health.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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A Meriden teen is back home after immigration offi detained him just days before his graduation from Maloney High School.
A young girl from New Have is speaking out after witnessing Immigration and Customs Enforce officers detain her mother this I feel like they don't realize that they also have a family.
They have kids like the kids get affected by it as well.
I've done this work now for 24 y I have never befor been terrified about the possibi that our democracy would collaps and I am there now.
I'm one of those people who is often alerted when ICE activity happens across the state.
And I will tell you that ICE act happening on a daily basis.
So this is Padaminas bakery.
I believe it's a Portuguese bake In Danbury, Connecticut.
We got a report that one person was kidnaped by ICE.
Not too long ago, probably in t 5 or 10 minutes, this car was le and theres some decals on the that indicate that he's a father But, yeah, we got to go find him If we do observe that a kidnapping is in process, then the protocol is to ge as much information from the per being kidnapped as possible.
This is so that post, post disappearance, the folks on the post disappearance can follow up, hopefully follow up with them and their loved ones about their disappearance and, and provide any support, that they can use once they're in detention.
Hold on.
So that's a car?
Yeah.
That's it.
Hold on.
What street is this is.
Black jeep.
No.
License plate moving slowly.
Spring Street headed toward New I'm on it.
Yeah so as you can see they blac the license plate, which is - I mean that's really illegal.
Pretty heavily tinted windows.
I haven't fully confirmed the v but now I'm highly suspicious of All right.
Yeah, he's trying to get away.
Right turn after red.
All right.
No.
Hold on.
Dont tell them anything!
No!
Get out of here!
Get the - out of here!
Whats your name?
Tamè tu nombre?
Okay.
A number!
A number for a contact A number for a contact!
Whats your name?
A number for a contact!
A phone?
ICE AGENT: He's okay.
He's okay.
ICE AGENT: He's good.
Right here Get the - out of here.
Get out of here, man.
Get out of here!
What's your nam ICE AGENT: Back the - up!
What's your name?
What's your na ICE AGENT: Back up!
Hey, man I can't, I'm here.
I'm at the fe ICE AGENT: Back up!
Where do you want me to go?
ICE AGENT: Go that way What's your name?
What's your na ICE AGENT: Go that way.
Where are you coming from?
ICE AGENT: Back up!
Hey!
ICE AGENT: Back up!
ICE AGENT: Keep going!
Say your name, no?
ICE AGENT: Keep backing up.
ICE AGENT: You come film all you ICE AGENT: Stay away, or else freakin take you into custody.
For what?
ICE AGENT: For interfering.
I'm not interfering.
ICE AGENT: You are.
No.
I'm not.
ICE AGENT: Stay right there.
Okay.
ICE AGENT: Or go over there.
ICE AGENT: You got an I.D on you Dont tell them anything!
Don't be afraid of me.
ICE AGENT: Nothing happened.
ICE AGENT: Alright come here bud Whats your name, please?
ICE AGENT: Take the bag off.
ICE AGENT: Youre Okay, okay.
ICE AGENT: Let go of the bag.
Ye ICE AGENT: All right?
ICE AGENT: Youve got alcohol in Dont tell them anything!
ICE AGENT: I'm just gonna put it One year ago, Immigration and C Enforcement detained and later deported a New Haven mo on her way to take her kids to s So, this specific day, like we were already running lat But like I just told my mom, li don't take us to school too earl because either way, she had court that day.
So I was just waiting and then we were running out the and then we're in the car.
I'm on my phone.
She's on hers.
That's when she starts the car.
And like, I just see like a guy approaching up to the car.
And I just stopped, like, oh, like, it's just like I don't know, like a normal man.
And they're like, telling my mom to roll down the window.
And I was like, mom.
Like roll down the windo because I didn't know until, lik I seen the vest and it said ICE.
I was like, what?
Like I was very confused.
And that's when my mom rolls dow and they're telling her to get out the car and like they have a warrant for her arre I don't know.
I kind of panic.
I didn't know w So then that's when, like, my m tells me to put her phone in her So which I did.
And like, she was like, “Monse like, call your dad or something.” He was at the moment 7 turning 8 and he has autism.
So like he sort of didn't know what was either.
I didn't know how to react at th I didn't know which to cry.
Like what to do, I don't know.
I called my dad and then they told me to pass th So I did and that's when like, my dad jus kind of freaking out.
What surprised me the most when I seen the cameras wer that there were like four cars.
They were acting like my mom was like a bad perso When there's, like, more bad st world that they should be caring ICE protocols requires that in a situation like this, I should have made sure that Nancy had the ability to call a loved one, to say, can you ple and take care of my children?
ICE did not do that.
ICE is supposed to wait until that actually happens.
So it's not just that they're s make sure that the parent calls They're supposed to wait until that person comes to make sure that they are actua taking care of the children.
And in situations where the per who is being detained cannot rea somebody, they're supposed to ca welfare agency in that jurisdict So they didn't follow their own And as a result, what do we know We know that these two children are dealing with the trauma of what they experienced.
Well... It feels like un-normal.
It just feels weird, but, like, I know, like, I still have to keep going becau I guess I, I became, like, his s Like, I have to, like, make sure he ea He's like, wash his clothes.
Obviously.
Make sure, like, his work is done for school, take him to school get out of school together and y I've done things a lot without m that I needed to do with her.
My dance, my formal for eighth g my really soon to be graduation.
Shes not going to be there for In the course of a year she appears to have gone from be your typical teenager to somebod who's become a caretaker for her and who's had to work to bring i some income and is dealing with her own tra and anxiety from that, from that Despite all of that, she still r that beautiful, thoughtful, kind young woman that I met a year ago.
Please show some love to Kevin.
Kevin was held in detention for six months in Texas.
His legal team had asked the federal government to justify his attainment in cou instead.
Kevin was released without an ex What this administration has do is that they have called people for appointments and then they're detained.
Right.
Talk about fishing in a b That is what happened to Kevin and his father.
It is not an aberration.
It is a routine practice tha this administration has engaged Because it's easy.
You call them in and Kevi and his father were being compli They were doing what they were t They show up for their routin ICE appointment and then they're Kevin's father is deported, and Kevin languishes in a detention center for six mo And we know he came twice, they Right.
And the only reason he wa from deportation is because he memorized his lawy phone number.
In Kevins situation he was deta One of them was the Dilley famil And then he was detained in a sh What we're seeing now is family separation, but in a different context.
We've seen a rise in internal ar And so the family separation that was happening at the border is not something we're hearing as much about.
Instead, we're seeing that happe to our community members here in Connecticut.
Not only in Kevin's case.
But children, some who are U.S.
citizens whose parents are undoc It's like a feeling that never g like I coud be doing something so ra and it just sometimes comes up t But like, obviously I cry, but it goes away after.
I feel like not a lot of people know, like, what's going o and what needs to be heard and t not okay.
I think Americans dont realize I don't think Americans think a or realize that there are over 5 children who are mixed status fa they happen to be U.S citizens.
Their parent or another love one happens to be undocumented.
And so this administration's anti-immigrant mass deportation policies affect citizens on a daily basis.
I don't think Americans understa that part of ICE enforcement is an intentional disregar for people's constitutional righ They don't care, and they get away with it.
And because Americans don't see they don't think it happens.
It changed my life.
I think no family should get taken away from their kids, thei especially at a young age.
I hope that gets fixed.
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Mini Docs is a local public television program presented by CPTV