Gov. Ned Lamont speaks outside the Capitol Friday, April 20, 2026. He was voicing concerns over the recent detaining of a Cheshire High School student by ICE.Jim Michaud/Hearst CT MediaHARTFORD — 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, 18-year-old Rihan sat inside a county jail in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where he's been held since Monday.Article continues below this adFour 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."It's the second time in less than a year ICE agents have arrested a member of Rihan's family. Six masked ICE agents arrested his father, Zia, last July during a routine visit to a federal immigration office in East Hartford. Zia had worked as an interpreter for U.S. forces during the war in Afghanistan, and his case quickly became national news, with Blumenthal in particular championing his cause.Article continues below this adMore NewsThe Hour LogoMake us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search.Add Preferred SourceICE released Zia in October after a federal district judge ordered that he be granted a bond hearing and an immigration judge determined he was not a flight risk and did not pose a danger to the community.Attorneys for Rihan and Zia asked that they only be referred to by their first names, citing concerns for their safety and the safety of their relatives who are still in Afghanistan.Article continues below this adAttorney General William Tong speaks outside the Capitol Friday, April 20, 2026. He was voicing concerns over the recent detaining of a Cheshire High School student by ICE.Jim Michaud/Hearst CT MediaThe Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Friday afternoon to CT Insider that Rihan was arrested on federal immigration violations, issued a notice to appear before a judge and will remain in ICE custody pending proceedings, noting he will receive full due process. DHS did not specifically name the violations. His lawyers maintain that he is fully compliant.“Biden-era parole programs let in 190,000 Afghan nationals with a vetting process that was demonstrably inadequate," DHS said in a statement to CT Insider. "No overseas criminal background checks were performed, social media accounts were not screened, and there was no systematic cross-referencing of information. In many cases, entry was granted on the basis of a single recommendation. Under Secretary Mullin, DHS has been going full throttle on vetting illegal aliens who came in through Biden’s fraudulent parole programs and working to get the criminals and public safety threats OUT of our country.Blumenthal expressed the same outrage Friday over Rihan's arrest that he'd displayed during his three-month campaign to get Zia released.Article continues below this ad"Zia was detained by ICE illegally," Blumenthal said. "Now they are detaining his son because they failed in the effort to get Zia. So Rihan has become ICE's latest victim in that family.""What ICE is doing here is beyond cruelty," the Connecticut Democrat added. "It's beyond brutality. It's un-American."Zia "has a target on his back" and "will be tortured or killed" if ICE deports him back to Afghanistan, Blumenthal said.The senator vowed Friday to vote against any additional funding for ICE or its sister agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, until sweeping reforms are put in place. Those reforms are the cause of a partial shutdown of the federal government that is entering its eighth week.Article continues below this adLamont said he was proud to be standing there Friday with Blunenthal and state Attorney General William Tong, and he called on Connecticut residents to take action."I need people to stand up," the governor said. "There's too many people quiet. Too many people saying, 'This is the issue of the day. Maybe something will change tomorrow.' It doesn't change unless people stand up."In his remarks, Tong made a personal appeal to the ICE agents who detained Rihan."These agents must have children," he said. "You must have families. How would you feel if this happened to your kid? Would you want law enforcement to treat your teenager this way?"Article continues below this adSen. Richard Blumenthal speaks outside the Capitol Friday, April 20, 2026. He was voicing concerns over the recent detaining of a Cheshire High School student by ICE.Jim Michaud/Hearst CT MediaRihan's family came to the United States in 2024 on humanitarian parole, a temporary immigration status that was set to expire this coming October, court records show. Rihan applied for legal permanent residency — commonly called a “green card” — in June, and that application is still pending. His father also has a pending asylum application that includes him.ICE revoked Rihan's humanitarian parole after his arrest, court filings show.Rihan's attorneys have filed a petition in federal district court Monday asking a judge to order his release. Rihan has never been arrested or charged with any crime, and he does not have any criminal history, his attorneys said in that court filing. U.S. District Judge Vernon Oliver of the District of Connecticut is hearing that case, which is ongoing.Article continues below this adWhile Petersen spoke about Rihan's legal situation at Friday's press conference, the focus was on the support officials said the high school student has from both state officials and the local Cheshire community.Speaker after speaker spoke about how the teenager came to the United States knowing little English and is now a straight-A student and about his desire to go on in his studies and eventually become a cardiologist.Cheshire state Reps. Liz Linehan and Jack Fazzino were visibly emotional as they stood on the steps of the Capitol, at times grasping hands or locking arms with those around them in a show of solidarity and support.Linehan grew emotional at the podium as she said Rihan is a classmate of her daughter.Article continues below this ad"This young man deserves dignity," she said. "He deserves compassion. He deserves the opportunity to return home to Cheshire. That's where his home is. He deserves the opportunity to finish his senior year and graduate with his classmates."Fazzino, whose district includes Meriden, mentioned the case of Kevin, a then 16-year-old student at Maloney High School who spent six months in federal immigration detention after he was detained by ICE last year before his release in December — just in time for his Christmas birthday."I know what this road is," Fazzino said. "For those of us who've been down this road before, it's one that requires a lot of endurance. But let's be the village that this family needs right now."Article continues below this ad"The world is telling us there is an us and there is a them," he added. "There is only us."Editor's note: This story has been updated based on corrected information in court filings that reflect Rihan is 18 years old.April 10, 2026|Updated April 15, 2026 10:55 a.m.Investigative 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.