It was Fair Haven Alder Sarah Miller’s turn to open Monday night’s full Board of Alders meeting with words of “divine guidance.” Miller handed the mic instead to 21-year-old Valentina Diaz, a Gateway Community College student and an activist with Connecticut Students for a Dream (C4D), w ho offered the following call to action: Good evening everyone. My name is Valentina. I’m a college student and I’m a member-organizer with Connecticut Students for a Dream. I’ve lived in New Haven since I first moved to the United States in 2021, and I consider this my home. 
But lately, home doesn’t feel safe. Since this new administration took office, immigrant communities have been forced to live in fear. And the fear isn’t something I hear about from other people. It’s something I experience every single day… Every time I see a black truck, I find myself checking whether it belongs to homeland security. There isn’t a day that I meet with our members without worrying about their safety. 
There isn’t a day that I’m not checking: Where is ICE operating? Because that’s the reality many immigrants in New Haven are living with right now. I don’t even feel comfortable going near the courthouse anymore. Places that should make people safe, feel protected, now make us feel afraid. Recently, ICE attempted to arrest an immigrant father while taking his daughter to school in Fair Haven. These are people who wake up every morning and go to work to offer rent, buy groceries, and contribute to our community. They’re not a threat to New Haven. So tonight I want to ask our community and especially those on the Board of Alders directly: What are we doing together to keep immigrant families safe in New Haven? What are we doing to ensure that our city is not helping ICE target our communities? 
What are we doing so that students can go to school, workers can go to work, and families can lead their daily lives without fear? Because right now, many of us don’t feel safe. 
 We are all in this together and stand together. I know that we all want to support and protect everyone regardless of their immigration status. As students and organizers in C4D, we are working hard every day to protect each other. As elected leaders, you have the responsibility to protect all New Haven residents regardless of where they were born. We need to use every tool available to the New Haven community. Refuse collaboration with ICE whenever possible. And stand with the immigrant families that make the city stronger every day. I’m not here just to share my fear. I’m here asking for action. Thank you. The post “I’m Here Asking For Action” appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less