News Analysis: What Happens When ICE Comes to Enfield?

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  Freshwater Pond, Enfield CT Concern is high, generally, about what happens when ICE makes a concerted push in our community. Would we see something similar to Minnesota? That operation involved a saturation surge -- of more than 2,000 agents into the Twin Cities -- that overwhelmed local police capability. The question becomes do all communities face a similar risk, especially from agents that don't seem well-trained in de-escalation techniques. Enfield is too small of a town to get a massive ICE response. But it is the practice of ICE to operate independently from local police departments, which creates its own set of risks. Connecticut has a law, the Connecticut Trust Act, that sets some restrictions on what local police can do to help federal immigration enforcement. The Trust Act explicitly forbids local police from assisting federal agents unless specific serious criteria are met. But does the Trust Act protect residents, or does it just keep local police from helping in ce...
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How great is the Enfield Public Library? Truly great




I just love the Enfield Public Library. Everything about it. The catalog system is easy to use. You can get books from regional libraries if Enfield doesn’t have it. Its research page is very useful, especially is you need to use newspaper archives. The staff is super, and they have done a great job managing the pandemic. 

I’ve been using the curbside pickup mostly. For those unfamiliar, you put in reserve and when the book is ready, give them a call. You then arrange for a pickup time and the book will be waiting in a paper bag on a table. How great is that?

But a week ago, I went inside the library, the first time since March. Wonderful. The pandemic has taken so much of our old normal away, that any little slice of it seems like gold. 

They have set up plexiglass screens to protect the librarians at the checkout, but otherwise, all seemed unchanged. You can browse books. 

The Pearl Street library is more restricted, it seems, based on this sign out front. Haven’t been in that library since the 1970s. Someday.

If you aren’t a regular user of the public library, give it a try. It’s one of the best things about living in this town.

Location: 104 Middle Rd, Enfield, CT 06082, USA

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