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DOJ Sues Connecticut and New Haven Over Sanctuary Policies

The case tests how far Washington can override state limits on aiding immigration arrests.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) seal on the J. Edgar Hoover Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) building in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, newly minted as the nation’s top law enforcement officer, said he doesn’t feel pressure to carry out retribution against Donald Trump’s political enemies even as he pledged fidelity to the president’s agenda.
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New Haven Mayor

Overview

  • Federal lawyers filed a lawsuit against Connecticut and New Haven that targets the state’s Trust Act and the city’s 2020 Welcoming City order and seeks a court order blocking both measures.
  • The complaint says the policies curb cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement by limiting detainer holds, release notifications, and jail access, and it cites a detainer honor rate in Connecticut of about 20% since 2020.
  • ICE detainers are federal requests asking local jails to hold a person after their local case ends so officers can take custody for possible deportation.
  • Gov. Ned Lamont, Attorney General William Tong, and Mayor Justin Elicker rejected the allegations, argued the federal government cannot force state or city staff to do federal work, and said the lawsuit misstates their rules.
  • The filing joins a broader DOJ campaign against sanctuary rules nationwide, and a judge’s recent dismissal of a similar case against Colorado and Denver highlights that courts have split on these challenges.