DHS Once Again Lists CT As A 'Sanctuary' Jurisdiction; Here's What State Officials Say

CONNECTICUT — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has updated its list of sanctuary jurisdictions defying federal immigration law on Tuesday, and the State of Connecticut and is still on it.

“Sanctuary policies impede law enforcement and put American citizens at risk by design,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice will continue bringing litigation against sanctuary jurisdictions and work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to eradicate these harmful policies around the country.”

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong pushed back promptly, releasing a statement asserting DHS was "once-again falsely labeling Connecticut as a state sanctuary jurisdiction."

The term "sanctuary" state has no legal meaning, Tong contends, and the "characteristics" as defined by DHS are a "concocted fiction" of the Trump Administration.

"It is the policy of the State of Connecticut to respect, honor and protect immigrants and immigrant families in compliance with the law. Trump’s own administration certified Connecticut’s compliance with 8 U.S.C. § 1373 in 2017. Nothing has changed to alter that certification, other than Trump’s unhinged fixation on defunding and commandeering our police.

Related: Trump Administration Claims CT 'Shamefully Obstructing' Federal Immigration Laws

Republican State Senators Rob Sampson (16th District) and Minority Leader Sen. Stephen Harding (30th District) doubled down on the DHS designation.

"The U.S. Justice Department would be more accurate if it called Connecticut a 'super sanctuary' state, because that’s what Connecticut most assuredly is," the lawmakers said in a joint statement.

"That’s because Connecticut Democrats prohibit local and state law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities – including for those who have been convicted for violent felonies."

In recent months, the Justice Department has filed several lawsuits against sanctuary jurisdictions seeking to compel compliance with federal law, including one against New York City on July 24. Recently, the Mayor of Louisville agreed to revoke their sanctuary policies following a letter from the Justice Department threatening legal action.

See Also: Connecticut Settles With Business Over Illegal Weight Loss Drug Sales, Halts Operations

Here is the current list of sanctuary jurisdictions, as tabulated by DHS :

States:

• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Illinois
• Minnesota
• Nevada
• New York
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• Vermont
• Washington

Counties:

• Baltimore County, MD
• Cook County, IL
• San Diego County, CA
• San Francisco County, CA

Cities:

• Albuquerque, NM
• Berkeley, CA
• Boston, MA
• Chicago, IL
• Denver, CO
• East Lansing, MI
• Hoboken, NJ
• Jersey City, NJ
• Los Angeles, CA
• New Orleans, LA
• New York City, NY
• Newark, NJ
• Paterson, NJ
• Philadelphia, PA
• Portland, OR
• Rochester, NY
• Seattle, WA
• San Francisco City, CA