Immigrant advocates gathered outside the Connecticut Capitol on Monday, pledging to protect their communities as President-elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans loom.
“It is the policy and the law of Connecticut to respect, honor, and protect immigrants and immigrant families. Full stop,” said Attorney General William Tong.
Tong refrained from detailing specific legal actions the state might take but acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the future. “We don’t know when or how they’re going to come, but we know they are, and it’s a top priority for them,” he said.
Trump has made aggressive promises regarding immigration, including plans for a border wall funded by Mexico, though these efforts fell short during his first term. Despite expanding the border wall, Mexico did not pay for it, and the coast-to-coast project was never completed.
Trump’s first term also saw hardline immigration measures, such as making it more difficult for asylum seekers and separating families. Heading into 2025, he has vowed to implement even stricter policies, including a mass deportation program aimed at removing criminals and ending birthright citizenship.
Connecticut has long worked to protect immigrants. In 2019, it passed the ‘Trust Act,’ which limits the authority of state law enforcement to hold people detained by federal immigration officials.
“The responsibility for immigration enforcement lies with federal authorities, not the state,” said Tong. “The federal government can’t use Connecticut’s resources to do their job.”
The state also offers state-sponsored Medicaid-like coverage for children aged 15 and under, regardless of immigration status. The program, which started in 2021, expanded gradually, initially covering children under eight, then extending to those under 12 in 2022, and later to children up to age 15 in 2024. Efforts to expand the program further are ongoing.
However, Connecticut Republicans, including House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora and Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding, have criticized the program, calling for its suspension due to Medicaid cost overruns.
“It’s essential to halt this policy for the state’s financial stability,” the Republican leaders said in a statement.
Any change would require legislative approval, according to Sen. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown, who expressed disappointment at the Republicans’ stance. “It’s sad to see them try to align with extreme MAGA positions after voting multiple times to provide health care to undocumented children,” Lesser said.
Fereshteh Ganjavi, an immigrant from Afghanistan, expressed her hope that Connecticut could continue to lead in supporting immigrants. “Connecticut gave us a chance to rebuild our lives, and I want the same for every refugee and immigrant here,” she said.
Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam, whose parents are immigrants from Sri Lanka, emphasized that his city is on track to have its safest year in two decades, thanks to violence prevention efforts. He argued that focusing resources on immigration raids would undermine these safety initiatives. “Targeting hardworking immigrants doesn’t make us safer. It creates fear and uncertainty,” he said.
For many, including Tong, the issue is personal. He shared that his mother arrived in Hartford from Taiwan and lived in a nearby apartment building. Tong, the first U.S. citizen in his family, recalled how his father faced the threat of deportation shortly before his birth. “If this happened today, people would call my father undocumented or illegal,” Tong said. “But I know in my heart that what my parents did was not illegal. They were pursuing a better life for our family.”
Related topics:
- Tony Gonzales and Chip Roy Battle Over Mass Deportation Plans
- Industries Most Vulnerable to Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
- Los Angeles Approves ‘Sanctuary City’ Law to Safeguard Migrants
