Lawmaker’s Claim That Parole Board Worked To Release Undocumented Sex Offender To Avoid His Deportation Doesn’t Check Out
by Karla Ciaglo
HARTFORD, CT – Republican legislators brought the Trump administration’s immigration policies to the forefront at the state Capitol on Thursday when they held a news conference on deportations and the intersection of state law enforcement with federal immigration authorities.
State Rep. Greg Howard, R-Stonington, spotlighted the case of Guerino Magloire, a 52-year-old undocumented sex offender from Haiti, as an example to further the Republicans’ agenda to change the 2019 TRUST Act to align with the Trump administration’s priorities in Washington.
Howard did not mention Magloire’s name but he said he had watched a Board of Pardons and Paroles hearing three weeks ago involving an individual with a 2021 conviction for sexually assaulting a minor – and who was serving an “abysmal” five-year sentence.
“I watched that hearing, and the parole board members sat there, and they worked together to make sure that they got this individual out who has a detainer for deportation, got him out to make sure he could avoid that deportation,” Howard said, raising eyebrows and prompting a fact-checking effort by Democrats and members of the news media.
“Literally took steps to put a multi-time convicted sex offender back on our streets when the federal government wants to deport him to the country that he came from. To me, that should shock the conscience of every single person in the state of Connecticut,” Howard said.
As it turns out, the opposite result is what happened. It’s not clear whether Howard had checked on Magloire’s custody status before the news conference Thursday, but Magloire is listed in the custody of ICE at the Wyatt Detention Center in Rhode Island.
A screengrab of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s website showing Guerino Magloire’s status in ICE custody on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. Credit: Screengrab / US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
During his hearing, he told the board that he feared deportation to Haiti because he was concerned that he’d be killed. One board member responded to his concern by saying that it was not the board’s problem. However, Magloire had completed all the required behavioral programs and was given “discretionary” parole.
Had he stayed in the custody of the Correction Department in Connecticut, he was slated for release in November. But either way, an ICE detainer was waiting for him when he got out. Board members told him that regardless of whether he was paroled, ICE was going to be waiting for him.
The Republicans’ news conference created some confusion Thursday, intensifying the debate over criminal justice and immigration reform.
In Connecticut, parole for undocumented immigrants facing deportation is governed by “deportation parole,” specifically Section 54-125d of the Connecticut General Statutes. Under this law, individuals eligible for deportation parole can be transferred to ICE after serving part of their sentence. They remain in state custody for up to 30 days before ICE assumes responsibility for their deportation.
Howard referenced Magloire’s case to advocate for stricter provisions under the TRUST Act, which was passed in 2019 to strike a balance between assisting ICE in promoting public safety while protecting individual rights by limiting detention and information sharing with ICE, except in cases involving serious crimes.
Republicans called for a review of the TRUST Act, proposing reforms that would shift the threshold for local cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Under the Republicans’ proposal, local authorities would be permitted to act based on an arrest for certain felonies, rather than a conviction. Republicans who support the changes say they are necessary to enhance public safety, while opponents, including Sen. Gary Winfield, a New Haven Democrat who co-chairs the Judiciary Committee, warn that it could undermine due process.
“The change from a conviction to an arrest undermines the principle of being innocent until proven guilty,” Winfield said, voicing a concern that it could have negative consequences for those not convicted of crimes, particularly in immigrant communities.
Gov. Ned Lamont and Attorney General William Tong scheduled their own news conference later Thursday to voice their commitment to protecting immigrant families.
“In some ways, this isn’t news,” Tong said. “The federal government has broad authority over immigration, and immigration law enforcement, and ICE is going to do what it’s going to do … As I’ve said many times, it is the policy of the state of Connecticut to respect, honor, and protect immigrants and immigrant families in full compliance with the law. Let me say that again. We’re going to do what we can for immigrants and immigrant families because they’re important to us.”
Lamont said families should continue to function normally despite what they may be hearing from Washington.
“My advice is to send your kids to school,” the governor said. “My advice is to keep going to church. We don’t collect the immigration status of people who are going to church or our kids who are in school.”
Asked about a Justice Department memo that suggested federal prosecutors should investigate state and local officials who interfere with the Trump administration’s agenda, Tong said he was very concerned.
“I’m very concerned, right? I’m very concerned about police officers. I’m really concerned about teachers. You know, I’m really concerned about people that work at nonprofits,” Tong said. “These are regular people just trying to take care of each other, right? And we rely on them, by the way, to keep us safe. Police officers, bus drivers, school bus drivers, teachers, people that work at nonprofits, people that feed people that don’t have enough to eat. I mean, they’re just doing their best to honor another policy of the state of Connecticut, which is to look after each other and to take care of each other.”
He continued: “So I’m worried about them, and I’m worried about the very real fear and concern that they have. And they call me, and I hear them, and I talk to them, and I do the best I can to support them. On the other hand, I know what this is. This is an attempt to bully, harass, and intimidate Connecticut into submission, and Connecticut will not be bullied, harassed, or intimidated. Period.”
Winfield was also asked about the Justice Department’s memo.
“I take any threat from the Trump administration seriously whether they are correct in launching the threat,” Winfield said, adding that he was offering his personal opinion. “There are things that that particular administration might do that don’t necessarily reflect what the law actually says. So in terms of the constitutionality, I think we’re on steady ground. Whether the administration believes that or not – obviously they don’t. What actions they will take, I think they intend to see how far they can go. I think they want to make an example of folks. I think they want compliance. I actually think they want compliance in advance. I don’t think that’s a good idea beyond the issue of immigration.”
Winfield said that if we allow the Trump administration to force people to comply in advance, he doesn’t know where that will end.
“I have a concern about advanced compliance. I think this is a conversation to have. It is public policy. It involves public safety,” Winfield said, adding that when people feel unsafe, they avoid interactions with our police. “Which makes all of us less safe. But you know, they, they’ve told us what their intention is. We should take them extremely seriously.”