By Joshua Eaton, Staff Writer
HARTFORD — Standing on the steps of the state Capitol Friday morning, everyone from Gov. Ned Lamont and Sen. Richard Blumenthal down to members of the local school board rallied to the cause of a Cheshire High School student detained by federal immigration officials earlier in the week.
Meanwhile, 135 miles away, 19-year-old Rihan sat inside a county jail in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where he’s been held since Monday.
Four cars full of agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested the Cheshire honor student while he was driving with his uncle about half a mile from the family’s Cheshire home, where an American flag hangs out front every day, said one of his attorneys, Lauren Petersen.
“This family did everything right,” Petersen said at Friday’s press conference. “It’s the government that’s not following its own rules.”