Two activists hurt as ICE clash erupts outside Meriden courthouse
Sep 23, 2026·Location: Meriden, CT

Nancy Burton, a Meriden resident and member of a rapid response team monitoring ICE activity in Connecticut, was pepper-sprayed by an ICE agent exiting the Meriden courthouse during a confrontation between activists and agents. She said she was stepping away after the officer demanded she move when he deployed the spray, and was treated by an emergency medical technician at the scene. Fellow rapid response team member Madeline Gallagher was pushed to the ground by a courthouse security staffer as activists crowded around the ICE officers, briefly losing consciousness before being taken by ambulance to a hospital. The incident occurred as ICE agents detained at least one man at the courthouse, raising questions about compliance with Connecticut's Trust Act, which limits immigration enforcement at courthouses, bans masked law enforcement, and will extend protections to additional "protected areas" like hospitals, schools and places of worship starting Oct. 1.
Sources
- Two people hurt as activists, ICE clash at Meriden courthouse
ctmirror.org·Sep 24, 2026·archived copy
ctpublic.org·Sep 24, 2026
- Two people hurt as activists, ICE clash at Meriden courthouse – World Online
WOL·Sep 24, 2026·archived copy
- Meriden Courthouse Clash Highlights Ongoing ICE Enforcement Under Trump Administration
hyperlocalloop.com·Sep 24, 2026
- ICE agent pepper-sprayed activist monitoring masked courthouse arrest in Meriden, Connecticut; second activist hospitalized after fall
standingrecord.com·Sep 24, 2026
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