ICE agents are seen making arrests in Danbury Monday, Aug. 24, 2027 in this video still. On Thursday, in another area of Danbury, an agent used a Taser while making an arrest and the man was brought to the hospital.Alfonso Robinson/HatCityBLOGA man was sent to the hospital Thursday morning after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent deployed a Taser on him while making an arrest, according to the mayor’s office and a 911 call recording obtained by CT Insider.The incident comes on the fourth day of an operation by ICE that has reportedly led to over 50 arrests in Danbury alone, according to activists who have been coordinating with families and local and state public officials who have struggled to get information from federal authorities. There have also been an uptick in arrests in recent days in Stamford and Bridgeport, although ICE has not confirmed any specific number of arrests.Article continues below this adIn a statement to CT Insider, the Department of Homeland Security said the man “physically resisted arrest during a targeted enforcement operation, reached for a pocketknife in his back pocket, and refused to comply with officers’ demands. After issuing several warnings, officers relied on their training to gain compliance and safely make the arrest.”More For YouThe department added that the man was carrying “a counterfeit lawful permanent resident card and counterfeit social security card” and said he was medically evaluated “as a precaution.”“ICE law enforcement officers are trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve dangerous situations to prioritize the safety of the public and our officers,” the department continued. Officers are highly trained in de-escalation tactics and regularly receive ongoing use of force training.”Article continues below this adThe agency arrested nearly 50,000 people in July as the Trump administration cracks down on illegal immigration and advances its mass deportations agenda, the Associated Press reported this week. It was the highest single monthly total during the second Trump administration.A video of the arrest in Danbury Thursday that was posted to social media — apparently filmed by a bystander who was not involved — shows at least two agents wrestling with a man who's on the ground next to a vehicle as they work to detain him while other agents assist. They can be heard repeatedly telling him to put his hands behind his back as they appear to struggle with him. A third agent then runs up quickly from behind the group, points what appears to be a Taser at the man and shouts, “Do it now. You’re going to get Tased.” The man then yells in pain and appears to convulse. No reference to a knife can be heard, although the video was recorded from a distance.Other videos posted online show agents and paramedics who appear to be at the same location loading a man into a waiting ambulance.Article continues below this adTaylor O’Brien, chief of staff to Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves, told CT Insider in a statement that ICE called 911, and a city ambulance transported one person to Danbury Hospital. O’Brien said she could not speak to the person’s injuries or condition and a hospital spokesperson referred questions to ICE.Audio of the 911 call, obtained by CT Insider through a records request, shows an ICE agent requesting an ambulance for a man agents had used a Taser on.“We’re ICE. We had to Tase a guy who was resisting us, and he’s kind of convulsing a little bit,” the agent says on the recording. “He’s shaking, and he’s talking, but he’s kind of, like, a little bit out of it,” the agent adds when asked to describe the man’s condition. “His breathing’s a little bit labored.”Article continues below this adThe emergency services dispatcher later confirms help would be on its way. The New York Times reported on Thursday that while overall arrests by ICE have surged over the summer, less than 4% of those arrested had been convicted of a violent criminal offense. The Times previously reported that the Trump administration has sought to reach a total of at least 2,000 arrests a day nationally.The activity over the last few days in Danbury has come with limited information, with local activists largely collecting details and sharing with those officials as they aim to support families and find legal aid for those arrested. On Monday, the arrests included a group of day laborers who were in Kennedy Park waiting for work, activists have said. Democratic statewide and local officials had a press conference in Danbury Thursday afternoon, offering criticism of the Trump administration, which has not provided information on who is being arrested or whether they have criminal histories.“How many more videos like this must we see before ICE stops escalating violence against our neighbors?” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement Thursday. “Everyone in this state deserves to be treated with dignity, regardless of status. This has to stop. ICE’s sweeps this weeks are not making our communities safer. They’re traumatizing and terrorizing our friends and loved ones.”Article continues below this adDHS said in its statement that ICE is seeing an increase in violence and threats against agency members.“Anybody who lays a hand on our officers or tries to obstruct them is committing a felony and a federal crime,” the department wrote.U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn, lit into the agency after advocates with Danbury Unites For Immigrants said ICE arrested four parents Wednesday morning while a school bus with their children on it was nearby.In an unsigned statement to CT Insider late Thursday morning, a spokesperson with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security disputed those claims and singled out Murphy for opprobrium.Article continues below this ad“Any claim that ICE targeted parents at a school bus stop is FALSE,” the statement said. “Unsurprisingly, Senator Murphy’s narrative is a work of fiction aimed at scoring cheap political points at the expense of our officers, who are facing a 1,300% increase in assaults against them, a 3,200% increase in vehicular attacks against them, and an 8,000% increase in death threats against them.”The agency said it arrested 28-year-old Leonel Geovanny Morocho-Arteaga, of Ecuador, on Wednesday while he was driving. Morocho-Arteaga entered the United States without inspection — a federal crime — and was released after encountering U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents during the administration of former President Joe Biden, according to DHS.“The vehicle stop did not take place in the vicinity of a bus stop, and (the man) was alone,” the statement said. “During the arrest, officers discovered a large kitchen knife in the center console.”The statement added that ICE “confirmed that the child is under the guardianship of her mother.” However, it did not say how that child was related to the man’s arrest.Article continues below this adIt was common in the past for CBP to briefly detain people who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally before releasing them with a notice to appear before an immigration judge months later, especially during times when border crossings surged — a practice pejoratively called “catch and release” that President Donald Trump’s administration has all but ended.The statement from DHS did not say whether Morocho-Arteaga is in removal proceedings in immigration court or whether he has a pending application for relief, such as an asylum application. He could not be reached Thursday and it is unknown whether he has legal representation.“Illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.,” the statement said. “We will find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you whether Connecticut’s pro-criminal illegal alien senator likes it or not.”It can be difficult or impossible to verify details of ICE arrests. The agency sometimes release information on people it arrests, but it only does so voluntarily. And unlike state and local police, it does not generally release individual arrest reports or other similar records, even in response to public records requests. These cases are usually heard in immigration court, where case files and charging information is not open to the public as it would be in a criminal case.Article continues below this adAt Wednesday’s press conference, local activists and city officials described a pall of fear cast over Danbury’s immigrant community — with people afraid to leave their houses or patronize local immigrant-owned businesses.The superintendent of Danbury Public Schools, Dr. Kara Quinn Casimiro, sent a letter to parents Wednesday to address concerns about “immigration enforcement activity in our community.”“We know some parents are afraid to leave the house, afraid to walk their child to the bus stop, afraid of what might happen while their child is at school and they are not there,” the letter said.The letter laid out resources for parents and students — including counselors, social workers and family liason — and urged parents to keep their children in school.Article continues below this ad“If transportation, childcare, or anything else is keeping your child from attending, please tell us,” it said. “We would rather solve that problem with you than have your child miss out.”Reporter Michael Gagne contributed to this report.This is a developing story and may be updated.Article continues below this adAug 27, 2026Investigative reporterJoshua Eaton is an investigative reporter at Hearst Connecticut Media Group. Before joining Hearst, he was on investigative and enterprise teams at NBC News, CQ Roll Call and ThinkProgress. His work has also appeared at The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The New Republic, Kaiser Health News, Al Jazeera America, The Intercept and elsewhere.