DOJ sues Connecticut, New Haven over ‘open defiance’ of federal immigration laws

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Connecticut and its city of New Haven, arguing that their sanctuary policies interfere with the federal government’s enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws.

The lawsuit names Connecticut, its Governor Ned Lamont and its Attorney General William Tong, as well as New Haven and its Mayor Justin Elicker as defendants.

The complaint challenges the state’s “so-called Trust Act” and other state and local sanctuary policies that the DOJ says are illegal under federal law.

The DOJ claims these policies have allowed “dangerous criminals” to be released into communities across the Nutmeg State. It also alleges that Connecticut and New Haven made “intentional efforts” that the lawsuit says obstruct the enforcement of federal law, put people in danger and are preempted under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

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Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said state laws “do not preclude federal authorities from enforcing immigration law.” (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, file)

“For years, Connecticut communities have paid the price for these misguided sanctuary policies,” Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the DOJ’s Civil Division said in a statement. “This lawsuit seeks to end such open disregard for federal law.”

But Elicker says the lawsuit misrepresents the city’s immigration policy. He said the city would fight the lawsuit and that he was confident it had done nothing wrong.

“The complaint filed by the federal government contains untruths and is misleading. There are actually quotes from the executive order that have ‘dots, dots, dots,’ where they don’t finish the sentence and the last part of the sentence in the executive order actually clarifies the beginning part,” Elicker told Fox 61.

After Elicker was elected mayor in 2020, he signed an executive order prohibiting law enforcement from asking the immigration status of anyone they work with.

READ THE FULL COMPLAINT FILED BY THE DOJ BELOW

The mayor said his city and its employees have taken no action to obstruct the federal government’s efforts to enforce immigration laws.

“Our employees are following city, state and federal laws with the executive order that we have, and we will continue to do so,” Elicker said.

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Lamont said in a statement that state laws “do not prevent federal authorities from enforcing immigration law,” adding that they “rather reflect a long-standing principle: The federal government cannot require states to use their personnel or resources to carry out their federal enforcement responsibilities.”

“We will vigorously defend Connecticut’s laws against the claims made in the federal government’s lawsuit. Our trust law and related policies are consistent with the Constitution and reflect our responsibility to govern responsibly, protect public safety, and uphold the rights of all residents,” the governor said.

“Connecticut respects the rule of law and the constitutional roles of federal and state governments,” he added. “Connecticut law enforcement prioritizes serious criminal activity and works every day to keep our communities safe, while upholding the constitutional protections afforded to residents and maintaining trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.”

The lawsuit was filed against Connecticut, its governor Ned Lamont and its attorney general William Tong, as well as New Haven and its mayor Justin Elicker. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Tong, in a personal statement, said “the sovereign people of Connecticut have exercised their right to pass state laws like the Trust Act that prioritize public safety and ensure that all people can trust and rely on law enforcement to keep us safe.”

“It is unfortunate that the President and the Department of Justice are not focused on public safety but are wasting federal resources to attack Connecticut with a baseless lawsuit that has no basis in law or fact. Connecticut is not a ‘sanctuary’ state, whatever that means. That term has no meaning and has no basis in Connecticut law. We will defend Connecticut and Connecticut families and fight this illegal attack with every fiber of our being,” he said. declared.

The DOJ sued Connecticut and its city of New Haven over its sanctuary policy. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

This is the latest effort by the DOJ to target sanctuary policies in cities and states across the country.

Last month, a federal judge dismissed a DOJ lawsuit accusing Colorado and Denver of interfering with federal immigration enforcement.