SHELTON, Conn. — A resident used the public portion of the Shelton Board of Aldermen's meeting Thursday to urge Mayor Mark Lauretti to work with federal immigration authorities, telling the board that "blue sanctuary states and cities are anti-American."

"Mayor Loretti does not believe in public safety and national security," the speaker said. "I have been after him for months now to please contact DHS, sign up with ICE to save the city approximately eight point seven million dollars annually and make our cities safe."

The speaker did not explain how he arrived at that figure. He said the mayor had told him that federal officials "will not return his phone calls," adding, "I am skeptical of that."

"Shelton can do this in spite of what I was told last month," he said.

The speaker also said, "We're all witnessing the Islamization of Europe and now America," and called Islam "a very dangerous religion."

He listed historic events he said he had lived through, from the Korean War armistice to the fall of the Berlin Wall, before saying, "However, I'm most distressed by the fact that these blue sanctuary states and cities are anti-American. They are not interested in keeping us safe."

"There are crimes committed by illegal aliens almost daily nationwide," he said. "It's the most alarming thing I think I've seen in my life."

No board member responded to the remarks during the public portion, which came after the board finished its agenda. Another speaker said it was "the third meeting in a row" that the mayor had left before public comment.

Earlier in the meeting, the board approved several purchases, including a used fire pumper from Ansonia, a used excavator and three used dump trucks for the Highways and Bridges Department, and $125,000 for firefighting gear and equipment.