Hundreds testify in Hartford hearing for bills to shield schools, hospitals and limit license‑plate tracking

Hundreds of residents, students, teachers, health‑care professionals and labor and faith leaders pressed Connecticut’s Judiciary Committee on March 9 to pass a package of bills that would bar civil immigration enforcement from sensitive places, expand state oversight of federal officers and restrict how long license‑plate‑reader data can be kept.

"When I think about a school, I don't envision danger, I see education," said Jafet Gonzalez, a 17‑year‑old high‑school senior who testified in support of SB 91, the governor’s bill to designate schools, hospitals, places of worship and other public sites as protected areas where immigration enforcement is restricted. Dozens of other student speakers echoed that concern, saying fear of enforcement is keeping children at home and disrupting learning.

Advocates and clinicians described broader, non‑legal harms they say the bills would address. "Legislation to protect areas such as schools, religious spaces, municipal facilities and health‑care environments ... is very much needed to help all residents of the state," said Robin Gilmartin, a licensed clinical social worker, who testified about trauma and…