Paul Bass Photos
Harp (center) and rally organizer Matos (at left): No turning back.
A boisterous rally sent President Donald Trump a message Thursday night: New Haven’s not only a “sanctuary city.” It’s a fighting city, too.
As twilight turned to darkness, New Haven’s mayor and U.S. congresswoman and its assistant police chief, clergy and grassroots civil-rights activists took turns on the City Hall steps declaring their determination to fight an executive order Trump issued Wednesday to remove federal money from “sanctuary cities” that refuse to cooperate with federal authorities in deporting undocumented immigrants.
Hundreds cheered as officials vowed to continue refusing to share information about immigrants with the feds and to keep in place a police general order banning officers from asking people about their immigration status.
The common theme of the evening: New Haven won’t succumb to fear.
“We’re not afraid,” declared New Haven Legal Assistance Association attorney James Bhandary-Alexander, who represents immigrants in wage-theft and workplace harassment cases. “We’re going to fight every step of the way.”
“Are we afraid of Donald Trump?” he asked the crowd, which filled the sidewalk and spilled out into the rush-hour Church Street traffic.
“No!” came the return roar.
Luis Piscil, 4, sat by his father Jose, an immigrant factory worker who told the crowd, “Nobody is taking me out of this country!”
Like her counterparts in other sanctuary cities, Mayor Toni Harp has promised to fight Trump’s executive order in court if he tries to enforce it against New Haven. She estimates that the city has up to $56 million in currently approved and undrawn federal money at stake.
In interviews since Trump announced his order, Harp has grown increasingly passionate about fighting it, about the threat it poses to New Haven’s public safety and to constitutional protections for local governments and the Congress. (Read more about those issues in this article.)
Harp’s passion was on full display as she addressed Thursday night’s rally.
“New Haven gets to decide how New Haven will behave. This new group in Washington does not!” she declared.
Rabbi Herb Brockman compared Trump’s actions to the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.
“I cannot overemphasize this: New Haven police officers, school district employees, and other city workers do not — and will not — act to enforce federal immigration law. Those who represent this city act in support of all residents regardless of documentation and immigration status,” she declared.
“One of the worst things to come out of Washington in recent days is the chilling effect this new administration has had on a growing segment of this community, where families are fearful about sending children to school and where hard-working, law-abiding, taxpaying New Haven residents are fearful going about their everyday routine,” she continued. “It’s my opinion that increasing fear among a wider swath of New Haven residents does more harm in this community than violations of immigration law.
“We are a community in which police officers and school officials are the good guys and the helpful ones — to be trusted and counted upon to protect residents and serve their needs.
“I stand before you tonight urging families to continue sending children to school, urging residents to continue going about their daily routine, and offering reassurance that New Haven remains a safe haven for all who choose to live here.
“And I stand among you this evening to reinforce for you my commitment, that of all city departments, and that of my staff, to do everything within our power to safeguard New Haven’s cherished reputation as a sanctuary for all who want to live here.”
Harp ended by hugging rally organizer Kica Matos — who as a former city official created some of New Haven’s immigrant-friendly policies — and thanking her for her “extraordinary leadership” on the issue.
Assistant Police Chief Luiz Casanova spoke of his days serving as the top cop in Fair Haven, where many Latino immigrants live. After the police general order took effect in 2006, he recalled, immigrants started trusting officers and helping to solve crimes. “Because of the trust, we went from the murder capital of New Haven to zero murders,” Casanova said. “We won’t abandon you. We worked too hard to build this trust.”
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro spoke as a proud daughter of a man who immigrated to New Haven a century ago. She characterized as “un-American” Trump’s vows to deport more immigrants and punish cities that welcome them. “We are not going to cower in fear from anyone,” DeLauro declared. (Click above to watch more of her remarks.)
“Trump said he’s coming after us. We’re coming after him!” Vanesa Saurez of the immigrant-rights group Unidad Latina en Acción told the crowd.
After chants of “love trumps hate,” the hour-long rally ended with a march through downtown blocks. Rev. Ron Hurt of Deliverance Temple offered a send-off with these words for the president: “You mess with my brothers and sisters, you mess with me.”