Dear Fellow Democratic Town Committee Chairs,
We write to you today as chairs who understand that progressive Democratic values mean nothing if you are not in the room when the votes are called.
Last week, as the Connecticut House took up Senate Bill 397, legislation to rein in ICE abuses and protect Connecticut residents from unconstitutional federal overreach, Rep. Josh Elliott was absent for votes on Republican amendments that directly targeted those protections and the communities that need them.
Those amendments were not minor procedural votes. One amendment would have expanded cooperation with ICE’s deportation operation and allowed individuals to be held for 48 hours without a warrant, robbing people of due process. Another would have made it harder for victims assaulted by ICE agents to hold them accountable by requiring proof of intent to harm. Democrats showed up and stood together to stop these amendments. Rep. Elliott was not there for those votes.
That matters. It matters deeply to those of us whose communities include families living in fear — people afraid to go to the hospital, send their children to school, or walk into a courthouse. These are our constituents and our neighbors. When Republicans put those protections on the chopping block, we needed every Democrat on the floor – not 98% of them. Rep. Elliott chose to be somewhere else.
This is not an isolated moment. There has been a pattern of absence, both during key votes in the past, and while on the campaign trail. You can’t claim to be a democratic champion for Connecticut’s most vulnerable residents while repeatedly being absent when the fight actually happens.
It’s easy to call yourself a progressive, but not showing up to vote when ICE is terrorizing our communities falls far short of that description, and is why we felt compelled to speak out.
At a time when the Trump Administration is escalating attacks on our residents, showing up isn’t optional. It’s the job. And it should come before personal political ambition.
We believe Democratic voters deserve to know this and we encourage you to share it with your members and your communities.
In solidarity,
LarryLawrence Riefberg, Proud Chairman
Danbury Democratic Town Committee
203-947-0182 (cell)John M. Kelly
Chair, Newington DTC
Colin Hosten
Chair, Norwalk DTC