As state legislators inside the Capitol in Hartford discussed the possibility of a special session on Monday, faith leaders and immigrant advocates rallied outside the building, urging the lawmakers to prioritize immigrant safety.

The large crowd had marched from the federal courthouse to the Capitol for their rally, with signs that read “Hands Off Our Neighbors” and “Gov. Lamont: Immigrant Protections Can’t Wait” and chanting “No hate! No fear! Immigrants are welcome here!”

In recent months, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, often wearing masks, have detained people across Connecticut, at federal courthouses, carwashes, and from their vehicles.

Many of the speakers at Monday’s rally were faith leaders in Connecticut. Reverend Josh Pawelek of the Unitarian Universalist Society East in Manchester, said that he, along with many advocates at the rally, had worked hard to put protections for immigrants into an updated version of the TRUST Act when lawmakers were in session earlier this year.

“It was infuriating when the bill that we wanted got out of the Judiciary Committee and then just got watered down. And so many of the good things that were in that bill — the things that immigrants needed to be safe in our state — went away in that strange way that laws get made in Connecticut,” Pawelek said.

Pawelek urged those gathered to scan a QR code distributed on flyers through the crowd that would link them to a page to write to lawmakers.

Sen. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown, also spoke at the rally. In his district, an August raid by masked ICE agents took place at a Newington car wash. Lesser said the state has the ability to better protect immigrants, but, “we need strong laws that apply equally to anyone who is depriving the civil rights of anyone in this state. Connecticut can play an important role, but we have a choice to make. And I’m hoping we do so soon.”

After the rally ended, Lesser said there are two schools of thought among lawmakers inside the Capitol: “One that Connecticut should take a more confrontational approach, and one that we should keep our heads down.” While Lesser said he understands why some lawmakers favor a more passive approach, “I just don’t think that’s going to work, I don’t think that’s how you stop a bully.”

Constanza Segovia, one of the leaders of Hartford Deportation Defense, also spoke at Monday’s rally. She updated the crowd on the case of Victor Sanchez, an activist with Make the Road and HDD, who was detained in September when he arrived to federal court for a routine check-in.

“I have amazing news to share with you all,” Segovia said, announcing that Sanchez had been released from detention. But that news was tempered by the stipulation that Sanchez was given just 30 days to leave the country.

Segovia said her group planned to keep fighting for Sanchez to be able to stay in the U.S. She also read some words in both Spanish and English from Sanchez, who said he was blessed to be a member of the community.

“When I was in detention, I talked to people who didn’t have anything — no documents, prepared in packets, no communities or organizations rallying in support. The reason I am here today is because of all of my community support and the organizing of my community. That people united will never be defeated.”

Segovia told those gathered that lawmakers should act on several concerns the immigrant community has: “We need to protect our personal information from the federal government. Am I right? We need to protect our communities and make sure that our tax dollars are not being spent to assist immigration enforcement in Connecticut.”

Segovia also said that funding should be directed so that no one, regardless of immigration status, loses Medicaid coverage or access to food assistance programs.

Judiciary Committee Co-chair Rep. Steve Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, said in an interview that lawmakers would continue to look for ways to support immigrants in Connecticut, if given the opportunity during a special session, which must be called by Gov. Ned Lamont. “We’ll continue to try and do what we can to make sure people feel safe in our state, despite the threatening and frankly harassment coming from the federal government,” he said.

In September, the judicial branch issued a new policy to ban federal agents from making immigration related arrests inside of Connecticut courthouses without a judicial warrant or signed order. The policy also bans mask-wearing inside of courthouses, unless the mask is medically necessary and has received prior authorization from a judicial authority.