Man Hospitalized After ICE Tasing During Danbury Arrest

DANBURY, CT — A man was hospitalized after being Tased by an ICE agent during his arrest in Danbury Thursday morning, according to the mayor's office, as federal immigration enforcement continued in the city this week.

Taylor O'Brien, Mayor Roberto Alves' chief of staff, said ICE called 911 at about 6:45 a.m. and reported that a man had been Tased and needed medical attention.

A city ambulance transported the man to Danbury Hospital, where he was discharged later that morning, O'Brien said.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the man “physically resisted arrest during a targeted enforcement operation, reached for a pocketknife in his back pocket, and refused to comply with officers’ demands.”

“After issuing several warnings, officers relied on their training to gain compliance and safely make the arrest,” the spokesperson said.

DHS did not identify the man detained.

The department said the man was carrying a counterfeit lawful permanent resident card and a fake Social Security card. DHS said he was medically evaluated “as a precaution.”

“ICE law enforcement officers are trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve dangerous situations to prioritize the safety of the public and our officers,” the DHS spokesperson said. “Officers are highly trained in de-escalation tactics and regularly receive ongoing use of force training.”

Mayor Alves said the incident was “deeply concerning,” in a statement.

“Our community deserves transparency about what occurred, why this level of force was used, and the condition of the individual involved,” he said.

The arrest came amid several days of increased ICE activity in Danbury. O'Brien said the city's estimate of about 50 arrests comes from Danbury Unites for Immigrants, a local advocacy group that has been tracking the enforcement activity.

Federal authorities have not provided the city with information about who has been arrested, the reasons for the arrests or their criminal histories, O'Brien said.

The city has also received eyewitness accounts regarding reported arrests involving parents around school drop-off Wednesday, but O'Brien said officials have only eyewitness accounts of those incidents.

There has also been a nationwide increase in immigration arrests.

ICE arrested 49,571 people in July, up 15 percent from June and 70 percent from February, according to federal data analyzed by The Associated Press.

A New York Times analysis of federal data found that a majority of those arrested in July had neither been charged with nor convicted of a crime, while less than 4 percent had a past violent criminal conviction.

Meanwhile, DHS said it has seen an increase in violence and threats against federal immigration officers nationwide.

“We have seen a highly coordinated campaign of violence against our law enforcement,” the spokesperson said, citing increases in assaults, vehicular attacks and death threats against officers.

“Anybody who lays a hand on our officers or tries to obstruct them is committing a felony and a federal crime,” DHS said.

Gov. Ned Lamont criticized the broader ICE enforcement activity in Connecticut Wednesday, saying the state does not “want or need” the increased federal presence.

“Rounding up people at random to fill a quota does not lower crime,” Lamont said in a statement. “It traumatizes families and communities.”

This is a developing story and may be updated.