HARTFORD — Two Connecticut residents deported to Italy because of criminal convictions are seeking permission from the federal government to return to the state to testify before lawmakers about their experiences.
Paula Milardo and Arnold Giammarco both moved to Connecticut legally in the early 1960s when they were children. Milardo was deported in 2011 because of a theft conviction. Giammarco was deported in 2012 because of convictions for drug possession and misdemeanor theft.
Leaders of the legislature’s Judiciary Committee subpoenaed Milardo and Giammarco last week to appear at an April hearing about how criminal convictions affect immigrant families.
Yale Law School students representing Milardo and Giammarco say they believe the subpoenas are the first of their kind in the country.
Federal immigration officials didn’t respond to a request for comment.