Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Copley Square Tuesday for a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) coinciding with the one-year anniversary of the second Trump administration.

“I think that issues are always going to come up and change, but our analysis is always pretty clear, which is like all of these different attacks,” Boston Democrats Socialists of America co-chair Bonnie Jin told Boston.com. “Whether it is the illegal intervention in Venezuela or the militarism that we have seen in our streets in Minnesota, it’s all connected to this attack on working people.”

Using the bitter cold weather as a motivator, organizers led protesters in a chant of “It’s cold out, but the struggle is hot.” The sub-freezing temperatures later became a tongue-in-cheek segue into chants of “F— ICE.”

Representatives from the Boston branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Boston Democratic Socialists of America, and the LUCE Immigrant Justice Network delivered speeches. Students from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and Somerville High School who participated in the walkouts also spoke out.

“Whether it’s ICE terror in our communities, attacks on healthcare and SNAP, wars abroad, they think that using force and strength and bullying is going to beat us into submission,” Joe Tache, a PSL organizer, said in his speech. “It’s not going to happen because the truth is that is not strength; it’s cowardice masked as strength.”

Organized by the Boston PSL , the rally followed a nationwide series of walkouts earlier in the day. On the steps of the Boston Public Library, speakers condemned Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts, the killing of Renee Good by an ICE agent, and the strike on Venezuela and capture of its president, Nicolás Maduro, by the US.

After hearing from the speakers, protesters marched through Boylston Street and around Boston Common while participating in chants that ranged from defiant (“We want justice, you say how? ICE out of Boston now”) to optimistic (“One year longer, one year stronger”).

Reflecting on how the United States has changed since Jan. 20, 2025 gave many protesters a fresh wave of anger and disgust. For protester Stephen Downey Jr., the one-year point of the second Trump administration was as good a time as any to declare that enough is enough.

“I’m tired of this fascist regime,” Downey Jr. told Boston.com. “I’m tired of this rapist and pedophile and 34 [time] convicted felon sitting in office, ruining everyone’s lives, taking everyone’s health care, and everyone just supporting it. It’s time for us to stand up now and make a choice before it’s too late.”

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“Connecticut’s correctional system is operating in a state of sustained institutional failure.”

That’s what a new report by the Office of the Correction Ombuds concluded after looking into complaints and reports across the state’s correctional facilities for over a year.

The OCO was re-established in September 2024 and submitted its inaugural 2025 report. Despite the OCO lacking a full investigative staff, they investigated reported incidents, conditions, and complaints at the state’s correctional facilities.

According to the report, the conditions they found were consistent across many facilities and underscored the “seriousness and pervasiveness of the issues confronting Connecticut’s correctional system.

“These are not isolated lapses or temporary disruptions,” the report stated. “They are structural deficiencies, embedded in daily operations. In many respects, [the Department of Corrections (DOC)] appears to be failing to fulfill its statutory mandates.

You can read the entire report here.

The OCO found that the DOC relied heavily on modified and full facility lockdowns when faced with staffing shortages. Lockdowns are usually limited measures that are used in genuine emergencies in facilities.

According to DOC, there were 387 reported lockdowns in 2025. When facilities go into lockdown, visitation, recreation time, educational and therapy programs, religious services, hygiene, medical needs, and access to law libraries and communications are suspended.

The OCO said they received numerous complaints that people were confined to their cells for days at a time. This caused people to miss their medical appointments, go days without showers, and lose visits with family members.

The report stated that the lockdowns occurred “predictably” around weekends, holidays, and other staffing-stress points. According to OCO, while they acknowledge the staffing difficulties that the DOC has, the evidence shows there are no minimum staffing standards and no limits on the frequency or duration of lockdowns.

Mental health and medical needs were also the subject of many complaints to the OCO, according to the report. The OCO cited a December 2025 report from Disability Rights Connecticut that found sexual assault and systemic safety failures at York Correctional Institution, particularly affecting people with disabilities.

Also in late 2025, the Office of the Child Advocate issued a report that found repeated, unjustified use of force against youth at Manson Youth Institution.

According to the OCO, these were due to lack of staffing, inadequate training, and “weak internal controls.”

When it comes to the living conditions at the facilities, the OCO observed unsanitary and “degrading living conditions.” This included mold-contaminated ventilation, rodent infestations, sewage backups, and prolonged denial of hygiene supplies and shower access.

The OCO said that the conditions also affect correctional staff who work prolonged shifts.

An investigation into the Inmate Legal Assistance Program revealed deficiencies so significant that the office had to resort to “enforcement litigation” to obtain records from a state contractor that performed the services.

“That such litigation was required to secure basic oversight cooperation is itself a serious concern,” the OCO said in the report.

The OCO also cited multiple audits done on the DOC’s operations. The audits reported repeated findings, including improper extended paid administrative leave, weaknesses in overtime and payroll controls, failures in asset management, and repeated noncompliance with statutory reporting requirements.

“The recurrence of these findings over multiple audit cycles reflects a failure to implement corrective action–failures that directly affect staffing availability, infrastructure maintenance, transparency, and public trust,” the report said.

The OCO said there was cooperation with the DOC wardens, staff, and central offices, who responded to inquiries and engaged with oversight efforts.

“The [OCO] submits this report as both a record and a warning: Absent decisive intervention, Connecticut risks entrenching a correctional system defined by instability, isolation, and preventable harm,” the report concluded.

NBC Connecticut has reached out to the DOC for a comment on the report and has not heard back at this time.