Gavin T. Foley Licensed Insurance Broker

Heartland Prospect

KindCare Naugatuck

ProSource Pest Solutions, LLC

Saugatuck Home Staging

We Found It Thrift Store

*Joined January 1, 2025 to February 13, 2025

The Naugatuck Chamber will present its 2025 Lewis A. Dibble Sr. Award on March 12, 2025 to Larry Erickson, the owner of Jesse Camilles.

The award, presented annually by the Chamber, recognizes an individual’s outstanding contributions to the business and the socioeconomic well-being of Naugatuck. Erickson will receive the award during the Naugatuck Chamber’s 103rd Annual Meeting and Lewis A. Dibble Award Dinner on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 at Aria Wedding and Banquet Facility in Prospect. The event will begin with cocktails at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner and the awards program at 6:30 p.m.

Ploski's Finest Liquids

UniMetal Surface Finishing LLC

United Way of Naugatuck & Beacon Falls

We Do Life...Together, A Division of ICES, Inc.

We Insure Rise Agency

The Northwest Construction Careers Initiative

NCCI — The Northwest Construction Careers Initiative — offers Northwest Connecticut residents the opportunity to pursue a career in the construction and building trades. Job training and employment possibilities include: 

• OSHA 10, OSHA 30, and Hazwoper certifications
• CORE Curriculum, which includes HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical

Orientation sessions are held each Thursday at 249 Thomaston Avenue in Waterbury, CT beginning at 10AM. You do not need to RSVP to attend, but you will need to be on time to participate. 

Healthcare training program

The NRWIB is currently offering training opportunities in the following fields:

• Patient Care Technician
• Central Sterile Processing
• Emergency Medical Technician
• Certified Nurse’s Aide
• Community Health Worker

CT WHISP Program

Connecticut Workforce & High-Tech Industry Skills Partnership (CTWhisp) Program offers a variety of IT career training at schools such as Naugatuck Valley Community College and Patrick’s Academy.

Naugatuck Valley Community College in partnership with the Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board is offering grant-funded, short-term (15 weeks), IT course clusters aligned with industry certifications and supportive services. Clusters include Networking, Programming, Systems, Software and Project Management. Each IT cluster has been mapped to Microsoft and/or CompTIA certifications. The course clusters are offered free of charge to eligible CTWHISP participants. Additional services include enrollment assistance, academic advising, and employment services. In addition to gaining skills and stackable credentials, participants at NVCC will earn between 9-12 college credits that may be used towards a degree.

This HR Corner is brought to you by Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey LLP. This article was written by Partner Lauren M. Hopwood and Associate Johanna M. Bachmair. Read Part II on this topic in March.

With the new Trump administration, employers can expect a significant increase in the enforcement of immigration compliance, particularly I-9 raids and I-9 audits. Even if you meticulously confirm the work authorization of your employees, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can show up at your door as part of an ICE raid or to investigate your workplace in connection with a lead or complaint, or other factors. In this Part One of a two-part client alert series, Carmody’s Immigration team will help prepare you so that if ICE makes an unannounced visit, you and your employees are ready.

Tips for employers in the event of an ICE worksite raid:

• Call Your Lawyer. The receptionist can tell ICE that the employer’s policy is to call the employer’s lawyer, who may be able to come to the worksite or speak to the ICE officers over the phone.
• Search Warrant / Scope of Investigation Considerations. Officers can enter public areas of your worksite but need a valid search warrant or your consent to enter non-public areas.
• You can accept the warrant but not consent to the search. If you do not consent, the search will proceed but you can later challenge it if you have grounds to do so.
• An authorized employer representative should examine the search warrant to check that:

(1) it is signed by the court

(2) it is served within the permitted time frame, and

(3) the search is within the scope stated in the warrant—the area to be searched and the items to be seized.

• Send your attorney a copy of the warrant.
• Do not block or interfere with ICE activities or the agents.
• Exceptions:
• You do not have to give the agents access to non-public areas without a valid search warrant.
• Object to a search outside the warrant’s scope, but do not debate or argue with the agent. Simply present your objection to the agent and make note of it.
• Write down the names of the supervising ICE agent and the U.S. attorney assigned to the case.
• Have an employer representative follow each agent around the facility. They may take notes or videotape the officer.
• Note: for items seized, ask if copies can be made before seizure, especially if something is vital to your operation. Reasonable requests are usually granted.
• If ICE wants to examine privileged materials (ex. attorney-client privileged documents), tell them they are privileged and ask that they not be inspected by the agents until you can speak to your attorney. If agents insist on seizing such documents, do not prevent them from doing so.
• Ask for a copy of the list of items seized. The agents are required to provide this to you.
• Employer representatives should not give statements to ICE or allow themselves to be interrogated before consulting an attorney.
• Do not hide or assist employees in leaving premises, provide false or misleading information, or falsely deny the presence of named employees, or shred documents.

Employees Have the Right to Remain Silent and the Right to an Attorney

• You can inform employees that they may choose whether to talk to ICE, but do not direct them to refuse to speak to ICE.
• Your employees have the right to remain silent and do not need to answer any questions.
• An employee may refuse to show identity documents that disclose their country of nationality or citizenship.

For more information:

Lauren M. Hopwood

Partner

203.784.3104

lhopwood@carmodylaw.com

Johanna M. Bachmair

Associate

203.784.3183

jbachmair@carmodylaw.com

This information is for educational purposes only, to provide general information and a general understanding of the law. It does not constitute legal advice and does not establish any attorney-client relationship.