Immigration attorney criticizes Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton's immigraiton policy

As a sneak preview of the upcoming video posting of the immigration forum held at the Wilton Library last week, here is exclusive video of Tereza Pereira's attorney, Michael Boyle, views on Mayor Mark Boughton's immigration "enforcement" policy.

For those who don't know, Pereira is an individual who was in the middle of the difficult task of obtaining her citizenship when she was arrested by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement. After a long stay in jail, attorney Boyle was able to get Pereira released from jail and have her immigration case re-opened after filing a motion with the court.

A federal immigration judge in Hartford had agreed to reopen Pereira's immigration case and release her from jail after her attorney, Michael Boyle, had filed a motion in Hartford Immigration Court on Tuesday. It described previous attorneys' errors that led to Pereira's arrest at her Danbury home last month.

The judge agreed with Boyle that Pereira and her husband Lima, who both started working with Hartford-based lawyers in the 1990s to gain legal status, did not receive a fair hearing before immigration officials.

After several errors and miscommunication by previous attorneys, immigration officials ordered both of them removed, Boyle said. Pereira and Lima say they were never notified of that decision.

His comments at the forum echoes those of other individuals who have spoken out against Mayor Boughton's policy and as more details surrounding Pereira's situation, as well as the events surrounding the arrest of eleven day-laborers last year, come to the surface, expect more people top step forward and express their opinion (and/or outrage).



Come back as more video clips from the immigration forum (as well as the entire event) will be posted throughout the week.