After hearing how two Italian immigrants who lived in Connecticut for decades had been deported because of crimes committed years ago, state lawmakers decided they wanted to hear directly from them.

So the legislature’s Judiciary Committee issued subpoenas to Arnaldo Giammarco and Paolina Milardo. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, however, have refused to let them back into the country. Now, with the help of Yale attorneys and law students, Giammarco and Milardo have filed an emergency petition in U.S. District Court.