Community members and activists gathered on Court Street in New Haven to protest after New Haven officials said a woman was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Monday. According to New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, the woman was taken into custody by ICE while driving her two children to school. Unidad Latina en Acción (ULA), a grassroots organization that defends the human rights of immigrants, condemned the arrest, calling it “the violent abduction of a mother in New Haven, in front of her children, an act that terrorizes families and violates basic human decency.” Mayor Elicker issued a statement denouncing the incident:

“ICE’s actions are appalling and inhumane. To arrest a mother in front of her two young children while taking them to school is simply unconscionable and the lowest of the low.

We condemn this deplorable act of family separation and call upon the Trump administration to stop its inhumane approach and cruel tactics that are disappearing people without due process and traumatizing our children and communities.

New Haven is a welcoming city for all, and our immigrant neighbors are a part of our New Haven family. New Haven will continue to stand up for our residents and our values, and we will continue to fight back with every resource available to us against the Trump administration’s reckless immigration policies.”

The woman has not been publicly identified, and it is unclear whether she has a criminal record.

News 12 reached out to ICE but has not received a response.