Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said last week that illegal immigrants are welcomed in the state.
“My advice is, send your kids to school. My advice is, keep going to church,” the Democrat said, according to CT Insider. “We don’t collect the immigration status of people who are going to church or kids who are at school. Our cops are busy trying to keep the streets safe, they’re not asking the immigration status of somebody who’s caught jaywalking or speeding.”
During President Donald Trump’s first week in office, he signed numerous executive orders trying to curtail America’s illegal immigration problem.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined 11 other state attorneys general in issuing a statement last week saying state and local law enforcement can’t be forced to work with ICE.
“It is well-established—through longstanding Supreme Court precedent—that the U.S. Constitution prevents the federal government from commandeering states to enforce federal laws,” they said.
“As state attorneys general, we have a responsibility to enforce state laws – and we will continue to investigate and prosecute crimes, regardless of immigration status. We will not be distracted by the President’s mass deportation agenda,” they added.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, Connecticut has an illegal immigrant population of 113,000.
Trump signed an executive order that banned birthright citizenship last week. However, a judge blocked this executive order.
Tong said the judge “got it right.” He called the executive order “blatantly unconstitutional.”
“The 14th Amendment could not be more clear—if you are born on American soil, you are an American. There is just zero legitimate legal debate on this question,” he said. “The facts and the law are clearly on our side, but this fight is far from over. We are ready to keep fighting for American families and the essential character of our nation.”
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at zschmidt1717@gmail.com. Follow Zachery on Twitter @zacheryschmidt2.
