On April 13, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice sued the state of Connecticut, Governor Ned Lamont, Attorney General William Tong, the City of New Haven, and New Haven Mayor, Justin Elicker over what the DOJ calls their sanctuary policies that they claim interfere with the federal government’s enforcement of immigration laws. The lawsuit asserts that the state and locality were carrying out policies that are illegal under federal law and that refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities resulted in the release of what it described as “dangerous criminals.” The Connecticut Trust Act prohibits Connecticut law enforcement from arresting someone solely on the basis of a detainer — a request from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that police hold a person for up to 48 hours so federal agents can pick them up — with some exceptions. Local law enforcement and correction officials in Connecticut may only comply with a federal detainer request if ICE presents a judicial warrant, if the person is on a terrorist watch list or if the person in their custody has been convicted or pleaded guilty to a class A or B felony. In 2025, Connecticut lawmakers expanded the Trust Act, which had prohibited police from holding people based only on an ICE request. The revised version allowed individuals to sue towns or cities if local police helped ICE in ways that violate state laws and expanded the number of people who count as law enforcement officials under the Trust Act, like parole board members and prosecutors. It also expanded the types of crimes where local policy can comply with ICE enforcement requests. Local officials are now allowed to hold people for ICE if they’ve been convicted of an expanded list of crimes, such as sexual assault, child endangerment, or having child sexual abuse material, in addition to the most serious felonies like murder or robbery. 

This is the sovereign state of Connecticut, and it is my honor to be its Attorney General. The sovereign people of Connecticut have exercised our 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 our policy and the law of the state of Connecticut to respect and honor immigrant workers and families, and we welcome their contributions to our state. It is a shame that the President and the Department of Justice are not focused on public safety but are wasting federal resources on attacking Connecticut with a baseless lawsuit that has no foundation in law or fact. Connecticut is not a “sanctuary” state, whatever that means. This term is meaningless and has no basis in Connecticut law. We will defend Connecticut and Connecticut families and fight this lawless attack with every fiber of our being.Attorney General William Tong