Five percent of the state’s workforce is undocumented, according to the Pew Research Center. A majority of those workers do jobs in in construction, hospitality and agriculture.
The Migration Policy reports that there are about 73,000 undocumented workers in Connecticut.
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WATCH HERE“I think there's a very big misunderstanding that undocumented immigrants are a drain on our society, when in reality they're very big contributors to our society through their paying of taxes, through their buying of goods and services. They own small businesses," Patrice Luoma, Quinnipiac University professor of entrepreneurship and strategy, said.
Undocumented workers paid about $406 million in state and local taxes in 2022, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economy Policy.
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SIGN UP In Hartford, immigration advocates estimate 200 businesses could close following mass deportations.
“We lose a lot of things if we lose undocumented immigrants," Luoma said.
Homeland Security Investigation New England Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol issued a statement in response to a "random worksite enforcement outreach" at a Southington car wash on Monday.
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"Ensuring compliance with federal employment laws is crucial to maintaining a fair and competitive business environment. Businesses, that employ unauthorized workers not only undermine the integrity of our immigration system, but also gain an unfair advantage over law-abiding companies. HSI [Homeland Security Investigations] is committed to identifying and addressing these violations to protect both the legal workforce and honest businesses," the statement reads.
Some employers have reached out to Hartford immigration lawyer Dana Bucin for advice. They’re worried about keeping good talent, both undocumented workers and those with limited citizenship.
“We help employers figure out how to legally employ folks, either on a temporary basis through visas such as H-2b for temporary, seasonal or peak demand for labor or H-2a agricultural workers," she said.
She encourages people to reach out to an immigration lawyer to explore ways to stay.
"We encourage people to reach out to a licensed immigration attorney to explore their options, and not to assume that just because someone is here in undocumented status, that they don't have any pathway to legalization, because that's not the case," Bucin said.
"Because when ICE comes knocking, if they see that you have done nothing about your undocumented situation, that's a recipe for deportation. But if at least they see that you're trying, either they might not arrest you, or if they do arrest you, an immigration attorney may convince a judge to let you out on a bond because you are on a pathway to green card through marriage or parents or an employer or some other means," she continued.
Bucin adds that immigrants with refugee status are also worried about being deporting. She helped dozens of Ukrainians resettle in Connecticut when they fled following Russia's full-scale invasion.
"Some of them have reached out to me, asking me what happens if they abandoned their asylum case midway through and they go back to the Ukraine, or at the very least, to Europe, another safer place in Europe," she said. "And I have to work for the emotions of how much they can tolerate from the volatility that's being thrown at them."
On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security said that it has begun notifying hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans that their temporary permission to live and work in the United States has been revoked and that they should leave the country.
