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ACLU lawsuit seeks release of Hartford, Connecticut immigration court data

On Wednesday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut filed a federal lawsuit against the Hartford Immigration Court, alleging officials are withholding access to basic court records and naming U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and Chief Immigration Judge Angela Munson.
This year, more than 99.8% of cases decided in Hartford with in absentia rulings resulted in a removal order, according to data requested by the Deportation Data Project, with more than 79% of all cases marked in absentia from January to August 1.
The ACLU-CT requested docket numbers and case captions for May 2026 through July 2026, arguing the United States District Court must uphold "the First Amendment right of public access" and prohibit officials from blocking records requests.
After attending the Hartford Immigration Court on Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal described a "snapshot of what seems to be purposeful chaos," citing lack of adequate notice and a system he said is "running amok and doing injustice."
Dan Barrett, legal director for the ACLU-CT, said the group does not seek a public database of names but suggested courts could automatically seal sensitive information like asylum applicant names to protect privacy while enabling public access.

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ACLU lawsuit seeks release of Hartford, Connecticut immigration court data – WTOP News

The Connecticut chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU-CT, filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday alleging that the Hartford immigration court is withholding access to “basic immigration court records.” The lawsuit names U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and the chief immigration judge for the Hartford court, Angela Munson. According to the suit, ACLU-CT...

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