STAMFORD – The recent spate of ICE raids in Fairfield County has led to death threats against Stamford Rep. Corey Paris after a battle of words played out on social media this week where a right wing group called for Paris to be charged with aiding illegal aliens.
A group of more than 30 of the state’s Democratic delegation of state and federal elected officials held a press conference Aug. 20 where they supported Paris and assailed the Trump administration and ICE for spewing hate and divisiveness.
“We’re here to stand in support of state Rep. Corey Paris,” Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said. “Corey is facing something that no one should ever have to face. The governor and I want to condemn the vile and harassing threats that have been made to state Representative Paris and his family members.”
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut announced he is calling for an investigation into the social media posting and the death threats that followed.
“Corey Paris did nothing wrong,” Blumenthal said. “He did nothing that warrants an official agency of the U.S. government to charge him. That’s what ICE did when it reposted an X post from a Tik Tok user.”
Blumenthal said he would be formally announcing an investigation by the permanent subcommittee on investigations, where is a ranking member. “This kind of action well warrants an investigation,” he said. “The fact that ICE reposted ‘charge him’ is only one incident of many that have been reported where this agency exceeding its power using unwarranted and excessive force, and seizing people who may be in this country lawfully.”
Paris, who is also the chief impact officer of Person to Person in Darien, was indirectly singled out by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for allegedly “doxxing” the agency’s live location and warning illegal aliens of staying “vigilant.” This took place as ICE carried out what it called Operation Broken Trust in Fairfield County, where it apprehended 65 illegal aliens during a four-day enforcement period in Connecticut from Aug. 12-15.
The issue involving Paris came to light when an official ICE X account reposted a “Libs of TikTok” post stating that the representative had given away the location of an ICE raid on an Instagram post. That post stated that Paris was “helping illegals evade arrest and impeding ICE.”
Paris’ Instagram post on Aug. 15 stated the following:
“This morning, I was made award of multiple reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity within our district. While we are still working to verify the full scope of these reports, I urge all residents to remain vigilant, stay aware of your surroundings, and, above all prioritize your safety… If you have information about ICE activity, share it with local advocacy organizations who can respond quickly and appropriately.”
Republican response
While Paris could not be reached for comment on the threats and the calls for being charged, those on the other side of the aisle in Connecticut had some comments.
“There must be zero tolerance for these threats,” according to a joint statement from the state Senate Republican Caucus and Sen. Stephen Harding (R-Brookfield). “Violence and threats of violence are never acceptable. There is no place for this, it has to stop, we condemn it in the strongest of terms, and we are glad Rep. Paris and his family are safe.”
However, Harding and state Republicans had a different type of response to news of Operation Broken Trust.
“Good. This is excellent news,” they stated. “Connecticut’s streets are now safer. Violent offenders are now in custody. The federal government clearly has taken note of Connecticut’s super-sanctuary policies, even though Gov. (Ned) Lamont and Democrats really, really don’t want the term ‘sanctuary state’ applied to our state.”
ICE Boston, in coordination with federal law enforcement partners, apprehended 65 illegal aliens during a four-day enforcement operation in Connecticut, Aug. 12 – Aug. 15, targeting transnational organized crime, gangs, and egregious offenders. Among those arrested, 29 individuals had been convicted or charged in the United States with serious crimes, including kidnapping, assault, drug offenses, weapons violations, and sex crimes. Others were identified as members of transnational gangs or had criminal histories in their native countries.
The operation saw officers from ICE Boston’s Hartford field office collaborate with the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to apprehend illegal alien offenders across the state of Connecticut.
“Sanctuary legislation like Connecticut’s Trust Act only endangers the communities it claims to protect,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde. “Such laws only force law enforcement professionals to release criminal alien offenders back into the very communities they have already victimized.”
The Connecticut Trust Act, which limits the cooperation of state and local law enforcement agencies with ICE, was expanded in May – further restricting local law enforcement from cooperating with ICE. As a result, state and local law enforcement agencies will refuse to honor ICE detainers with a few rare exceptions.
The U.S. Justice Department has not officially stated anything as it relates to the social media incident involving Rep. Paris.
But Bysiewicz wanted to go on the record stating what she and Gov. Lamont see as dangerous actions by ICE agents in Connecticut.
“Corey (Paris) did not ‘doxx’ federal agents or do anything to put federal agents at risk,” she said. “On the flip side, in the name of protecting federal agents, these agencies are using their own considerable power – the power of the federal government – to intimidate Corey and validate information that extremist groups are putting out there. Those federal agencies have put Corey and his family at risk.
“This current administration’s hateful agenda has spread a very toxic environment that’s just disgusting and downright dangerous. The President has sought to spew hate and division.”
