Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said Tuesday the state will do what it can to protect the estimated over 100,000 undocumented people who live in Connecticut, as the state braces for a wave of federal deportations.
“It is going to be and is the policy of the state of Connecticut to honor, respect, protect and defend immigrants and immigrant families, and that is exactly what we are going to do,” Tong said.
Tong spoke at the Ferguson Library in Stamford where he attempted to explain possible next steps by President elect Donald Trump, who ran on an anti-immigrant platform.
Tong said the state would aim to fight back with a combination of legal efforts with other state attorneys general and public pressure.
And while local officials say they’re committed to protecting undocumented immigrants, they also admit the federal government has a lot of resources at its disposal.
They told the residents at the Ferguson library they will do all they can to offer protections, but it may not be enough to prevent federal law enforcement from detaining migrants.
Tong and Stamford officials say they will not cooperate with federal roundups, except for violent offenses. Tong pleaded with undocumented people in the audience, and watching on Zoom, to keep a low profile.
“Be careful what you say, be careful what you do,” Tong said.
Trump said he would proceed with mass deportations, potentially using the National Guard and deputizing local law enforcement into doing so. That would almost certainly lead to legal challenges over the legitimacy of such acts under the Posse Comitatus Act. The act limits U.S. military action within the United States unless authorized by the constitution or Congress, according to previous reporting by NPR.
Tong declined to say exactly how the state will resist deportations, but said Connecticut is “ready”.
Stamford resident Deimi, who requested to only use her first name due to concerns her undocumented status would bring attention to her, prays to her God to see her through.
“We’re in his (God’s) hands, and he knows what will happen with this country,” Deimi said.
But she’s not taking any chances. She’s going to heed Tong’s advice to lay low and not draw attention to herself, who volunteers helping newly arrived migrants navigate the city’s school system for their children.
Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons says there are some protections in place, citing the state’s Trust Act, which allows state and local authorities leeway to prevent sharing information with ICE, and also gives them authority to give undocumented people advance notice if ICE is requesting their detention.
Simmons pointed out local law enforcement will not ask someone’s legal status. Simmons, who used to work for the Department of Homeland Security, said most deportations targeted those accused of violent felonies.
She said she has confidence Governor Ned Lamont would continue to support them.
“I do have full trust in our governor that he wants to keep people in Connecticut safe,” Simmons said.
Simmons may actually have reason to be optimistic. According to previous reporting by NPR, Trump’s first term in office actually led to less deportations compared to his predecessor, Democratic President Barack Obama.
ICE lacked the manpower to exceed that number, and the logistic challenges of rapidly deporting the estimated 11 million undocumented people living in the United States will be enormous. But Trump’s incoming administration has signaled a more concerted effort to deport undocumented migrants.
That doesn’t take into account the legal challenges and potential for public outcry. Tong recounted an incident in Farmington during Trump’s first term, where an undocumented Chinese family faced deportation. ICE relented, he said, after then Governor Dannel Molloy pressured them into staving off deportation.
Elena Perez, the executive director of Building One Community who also moderated the talk, said immigrants are worried, but asked them to remember they have support in the city.
“We are not alone,” Perez said.
