Connecticut | Education
Why It Matters
The arrest of a Southern Connecticut State University nursing student by federal immigration agents has drawn public attention to the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration enforcement campaign, raising questions about how Connecticut universities handle cases involving illegal immigrants enrolled in degree programs. The case highlights the tension between campus advocacy communities and federal law enforcement priorities.
What Happened
More than 100 students, teachers, and immigrant rights advocates gathered outside SCSU’s Buley Library on Monday to demand the release of a fellow student detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the previous week. The student, identified only by her first name, Keyla, is a nursing student at the New Haven-area public university.
According to Connecticut Students for a Dream Executive Director Tabitha Sookdeo, Keyla was arrested by ICE in Middletown, Connecticut, on Tuesday, March 31. She is currently being held at the Strafford County Corrections Center in New Hampshire and has an upcoming court date, according to ICE’s online detainee locator. Her family has asked that her full name and additional identifying information be kept private.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed the arrest, identifying Keyla as a “criminal illegal alien from Ecuador” and stating she had previously been arrested for first-degree criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct. Connecticut’s online court database, however, shows no criminal convictions or pending charges associated with her name.
The DHS spokesperson further stated that Keyla entered the United States legally on a tourist visa on October 24, 2021, with authorization to remain for six months. “She illegally remained in the United States for nearly three years in violation of U.S. law,” the spokesperson said. “She will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.”
SCSU President Sandy Bulmer sent an email to the university community last Thursday acknowledging the detention. “We are aware that one of our students has been detained by immigration authorities off campus and in another municipality,” Bulmer wrote, adding that no ICE activity had been reported on the Southern campus itself.
By the Numbers
- 100+ attendees participated in Monday’s rally outside SCSU’s Buley Library
- October 24, 2021 — the date Keyla entered the U.S. legally on a tourist visa permitting a six-month stay
- Nearly 3 years — the length of time DHS says she remained in the U.S. beyond her authorized period
- 135 days — the length of ICE detention served by Gladys Tentes-Pitiur, a rally attendee who spoke at the event last year
- March 31, 2026 — the date of Keyla’s arrest by ICE during operations in Middletown, Connecticut
Zoom Out
The SCSU case is part of a broader pattern of federal immigration enforcement actions occurring near or around college campuses as the Trump administration moves aggressively to identify and remove illegal aliens across the country. Connecticut has seen increased advocacy activity in response, with Connecticut lawmakers and advocates already pushing for greater public oversight of the state’s higher education system, a debate now complicated by the intersection of immigration enforcement and campus policy.
Sookdeo noted she ran a similar letter-writing campaign last year for an ICE-detained Wilbur Cross student named Esdrás Zabaleta-Ramirez, who was subsequently released. Nationally, university communities have become increasingly vocal flashpoints between local sanctuary-minded institutions and federal immigration law.
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro posted on X Monday afternoon stating she had been in contact with SCSU leadership to gather more information about the detention. Rally speakers also included organizers from UNITE HERE 217, the New Haven Immigrants Coalition, and Unidad Latina en Acción, who called for broader resistance to federal immigration enforcement, including a national strike on May Day.
What’s Next
Keyla has an upcoming immigration court date, though no specific date has been made public. Organizers are soliciting letters of support from Connecticut elected officials, university leaders, and classmates to submit on her behalf. A fundraising campaign has been launched to cover her legal fees.
DHS has stated she will remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of removal proceedings. As student financial pressures continue to rise across the East Coast, the added cost of immigration legal defense places an additional burden on affected families navigating an already complex system. Whether university administrators will take a more formal stance in support of students facing federal immigration action remains to be seen.