Going from working in a family Chinese restaurant to working for the state of 海角换妻 has emboldened Attorney General William Tong to be outspoken against President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 immigration policies.
鈥淢y parents came here with nothing. My dad had 57 cents in his pocket when he arrived in Hartford, 海角换妻. They were not citizens when I was born, and so when I was born, by right of my birth, I acquired citizenship,鈥� Tong said.
The right to be a U.S. citizen is given to every person born on U.S. soil because of the 14th Amendment. Last December, Trump said he planned to take action on his first day in office to have birthright citizenship rescinded. Tong said he would be the first to sue, if Trump moved to end birthright citizenship.
鈥淲hen anybody attacks the recipients of birthright citizenship and calls us anchor babies. That's who I am,鈥� Tong said, 鈥淭hey're attacking me.鈥�
Trump has said that he will take several steps on day one to tighten federal immigration policies, though he has not been clear on how he will carry out his plans.
State GOP sets sights on Trust Act
Inauguration Day鈥檚 fast approach has reignited 海角换妻 Republicans鈥� calls to tighten the state鈥檚 immigration policies so they align with the nation鈥檚 rule of law and aid in Trump鈥檚 immigration efforts.
Republican State Sen. Rob Sampson is putting in a bill to repeal 海角换妻鈥檚 Trust Act, which allows undocumented people to communicate with local police without fear of deportation, by limiting communication between local law enforcement and federal immigration officers.
鈥淚 think the Trust Act is in direct conflict with federal immigration law and therefore should be nullified,鈥� Sampson said.
Sampson supported the Trust Act when it first passed in 2013, but according to Sampson, the law went too far after it was revised in 2019 to expand the reach of the protections offered for undocumented people, leaving convicted felons and potential terrorists as the only exceptions.
鈥淲e should restore the rule of law and enable the federal government to engage in revisions to our immigration policy that enable even greater amounts of lawful immigration,鈥� Sampson said.
According to Democratic Speaker of the House Matt Ritter, there are no plans to make any changes to the Trust Act in the 2025 legislative session. He said he thinks the law is well drafted and covers a lot of the problems that the legislature thought could arise.
鈥淚 don't know that we could make wholesale changes to the act,鈥� Ritter said, but depending on how the federal government follows through on its mass deportation program, 鈥淢aybe there are some modifications, and we would certainly engage those.鈥�
According to Ritter, the challenge will be in the interplay between federal and state powers as Trump kicks off his second term.
鈥淒o I think that we should be going after people who have lived here as law abiding citizens and are just raising their families?鈥� Ritter said, 鈥淚'm not sure that should be the priority of the federal government.鈥�
According to the Trump administration, that鈥檚 not the priority. Trump has said he intends to start mass deportations with criminals and then advance onto other undocumented people.
However, some immigration analysts and former immigration officials told the means by which he will go about those deportations will face logistical challenges, such as resources to detain people and legal roadblocks.
State and federal powers come into play
State immigration policy also came under attack from officials outside 海角换妻 recently, when a conservative non-profit and law firm that Trump鈥檚 deputy chief of staff for policy runs sent a threatening Gov. Ned Lamont over 海角换妻鈥檚 laws related to immigrants.
In the letter, the conservative group America First Legal threatened Lamont and his administration with criminal prosecution for policies that protect immigrants, or so-called 鈥渟anctuary鈥� policies.
鈥淭he fact of the matter is that you and the other officials who support or enforce sanctuary laws, policies, and regulations have a very personal stake in the matter 鈥� you each could face criminal prosecution and civil liability for your illegal acts,鈥� the letter said.
Tong said the letter is an 鈥渁bsurd attempt鈥� to bully and intimidate people. Trump鈥檚 deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller is president of America First Legal. Tong said in that role, Miller has no authority in the immigration sector.
鈥淭his is the sovereign state of 海角换妻. Stephen Miller has nothing to say about who we are and what we believe and how we're going to live and our laws and how we're going to enforce them,鈥� Tong said.
The letter was sent to an email with Lamont鈥檚 name, but was not an official or working email address.
Regardless of what comes, Tong said he feels prepared.
鈥淚'm ready to fight for the people of 海角换妻 and 海角换妻 families,鈥� Tong said. 鈥淚've never been more ready.鈥�
