As per the information provided by Meriden Public Schools, a senior high school student was taken into custody by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at an immigration hearing that took place in Hartford this week.
According to Mayor Kevin Scarpati, a student in the twelfth year at Maloney High School was taken into custody during a hearing that was not of a criminal character just a few days before the student was scheduled to graduate.
“While I cannot share details about specific students, I can assure you that students who meet all of the Meriden Public Schools graduation requirements will be issued a diploma from the Meriden Board of Education,” Superintendent Mark Benigni stated in a statement that was released today.
According to Meriden Public Schools, ICE has not made any contact with them.
According to Scarpati, the city has been in communication with the student’s family as well as members of our federal delegation about the situation.
“We respect the family’s privacy as they deal with this challenging situation,” Benigni stated in an interview.
There will be a graduation ceremony at Maloney High School on the following Tuesday.
A statement was issued by Governor Ned Lamont, which read as follows:
“I’m deeply concerned and disturbed about reports that, days before walking down the aisle to graduate high school, a Meriden high school senior was detained by ICE during an immigration hearing. As local officials and law enforcement do not coordinate with ICE, we have been left with no heads up and no answers about an incident that will undoubtedly be traumatic for the Meriden community and countless other students across our state. At a time when I’m trying to keep people safe and ensure our students feel safe, this will only incite more fear or absenteeism in our classrooms.”
