Connecticut Officials Decry ICE Arrests at Tweed and Bradley Airports

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker and immigrant advocates held a press conference at New Haven City Hall on Monday, September 28, 2026, condemning ICE arrests at Connecticut airports. Blumenthal said he met four young people detained by ICE in the last three weeks — two at Tweed New Haven Airport and two at Bradley International — including Southern Connecticut State University freshman basketball player Deng Dhieu Kuach Deng of South Sudan, arrested Sept. 4 while trying to board a domestic flight and released Sept. 16. Attorney Glenn Formica described detention conditions as 'hyper stress,' with detainees sleeping on cement floors under foil blankets. Reporting cited roughly 800 airport arrests nationally tied to TSA-ICE data sharing.