From Peter Goselin, NLG

The Connecticut chapter of the National Lawyers Guild is organizing a Mass Defense team for the Saturday rally, including legal observers and "on call" attorneys. If you are a lawyer, law student, or legal worker, or if you have previously received training as a legal observer at demonstrations, your participation in our Mass Defense team will be warmly appreciated. Please contact me at 860-233-9821.

We do not anticipate *any* problems on Saturday, but I have been told many times that the presence of our legal observers means a lot to the immigrant families and to everyone who come to participate in actions like this. For those of us in the legal community, showing up in a neon green legal observer hat is one way of letting people know that they are not alone in their struggle.

Letters to the Editors of the New Haven Register and the Hartford Courant are urgently needed :

Click here for the Hartford Courant.

For the New Haven Register, send a letter to: letters@nhregister.com.

Important: Include your full name, address and telephone number for verification purposes.

Meet by the park on the corner of Grand Ave. and Front St.

This will be a mass mobilization of thousands of immigrants and allies.

EVERYONE should plan to come out on that day. It is vital that we send a loud and clear message on Saturday that we support the rights of all immigrants, that we applaud the city of New Haven for having the guts to pass the City ID ordinance, and that we want ICE's reign of terror to end! For ride or more information:

New Haven: (203) 479-2959
Hartford: (860) 538-3920
Danbury: (203) 448-9140

From Prof. Mike Wishnie, Yale Law School:

We are asking Sen. Joe Lieberman, as chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, an influential voice on immigration and law enforcement, and a long-time New Haven resident, to intervene with ICE in several ways. We are making a similar request of Rep. Rosa DeLauro, whose position in the House leadership also allows her significant influence over DHS. It is enormously important that their offices hear from constituents and organizations across the state.

Urge Sen. Dodd, 202- 224-2823, 860-258-6940
Sen. Lieberman, 202-224-4041, 860-549-8463, and Rep. DeLauro, 202-225-3661, 203-562-3718, to:

1. issue a statement condemning the New Haven raids;

2. write Dept. of Homeland Security to demand an explanation for the timing and conduct of these raids;

3. demand that ICE exercise prosecutorial discretion and decline to pursue removal proceedings against any New Haven arrestees without a prior removal order, or immediately release on their own recognizance or minimal bond all arrestees. Further, demand that ICE not remove any of yesterday's arrestees who it does detain from New England and defer any future enforcement actions planned for New Haven.

4. work for a genuine immigration reform in Congress by supporting initiatives that decrease the militarization of the U.S-Mexican border; that support family reunification and continue a 40 plus year history of this immigration policy; that include a path to permanent residency for undocumented immigrants in the U.S.; that calls for a halt to worksite raids and detentions; and a reform that includes genuine support for the labor and human rights of all working people and immigrants in this country and does not contain a guest worker program.