Department of Justice sues Connecticut, New Haven, state leaders over sanctuary policies
The United States Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the state of Connecticut and the city of New Haven to challenge the state and city’s sanctuary policies.
Gov. Ned Lamont, Attorney General William Tong, and New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker are all named in the lawsuit, which was filed on Monday.
The lawsuit, in part, targets Connecticut’s Trust Act and alleges that it interferes with the country’s immigration policies. The Department of Justice said it also targets other local sanctuary policies in Connecticut.
“Not only are the policies illegal under federal law, but, as alleged in the complaint, they have allowed dangerous criminals to be released into Connecticut communities,” the Department of Justice wrote in a press release on Tuesday. “The State’s and City’s intentional efforts to obstruct federal law enforcement put citizens at risk and are preempted under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.”
The lawsuit is part of a broader action from the government to target sanctuary policies across the country, including those in Boston, New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, Colorado, and Illinois.
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