The state House of Representatives has passed a bill that would update parts of the TRUST Act, which limits local law enforcement’s ability to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. Advocates are celebrating their win, while acknowledging that there’s still more work to do.
CT Students for a Dream, an organization that advocates for and is led by undocumented youth, sent out a Wednesday press release in conjunction with other advocacy groups to celebrate the bill’s passage in the House. They characterized the reforms as “critical, but limited.” The press release, signed by CT Students for a Dream Executive Director (and New Havener) Tabitha Sookdeo, also highlights the sustained pressure by advocates, including “a delivery of over 600 testimonies in support, an Interfaith day of action at the Capitol, and 3 forums around the state this past weekend attended by over 200 people.”
The TRUST Act originally passed the state legislature with unanimous support in 2013, during the Obama administration. An updated act passed in 2019 during the first Trump administration. Now, the legislation allowing for new revisions heads to the Senate.
The House voted largely along party lines in a 96 – 51 vote. According to CT News Junkie, four members were absent or did not vote. Three Democrats voted against the measure and no Republicans supported it.
The revised language — which is made possible through a sweeping criminal justice-oriented revision bill, H.B. 7259 — notably allows private citizens to sue municipalities or their agents who are believed to violate the act. It also expands the definition of “law enforcement” to include “juvenile probation officers, prosecutors, including each state’s attorney, assistant and supervising state’s attorney, and special deputy state’s attorney, as well as anyone paid by or working on behalf of the Division of Criminal Justice and the Board of Pardons and Paroles.”
The revisions also include language allowing local authorities to turn over to ICE those who are convicted of Class C felonies. Wednesday’s press release notes that advocates argue that felony carve-outs “undermine the intent of the law and further the harmful narrative that immigrants pose a criminal threat.”
The original version of the bill protected access to state courthouses and included data privacy safeguards for immigrant communities.
Juan Fonseca Tapia, campaign manager of TRUST Act, NOW!, is quoted in Wednesday’s press release as celebrating advocacy efforts, but maintaining that privacy safeguards are necessary. “Today’s favorable vote for an enforcement mechanism is a positive step, but I still worry knowing that those who wish to harm my family can easily access our home address,” he stated.
Katherine Villeda of the HUSKY 4 Immigrants Coalition agreed. “Protecting immigrant communities doesn’t stop here — it also means safeguarding the personal data they’ve entrusted to the state.”
“The inclusion of a private right of action is a hard-fought win and positions Connecticut as a national leader in enforcing immigrant protections. We are grateful to legislators who fought alongside us to make this possible,” said Sookdeo. “As an organization led by and for undocumented youth, we know that our community is still at risk when schools and agencies are not explicitly barred from sharing personal data with ICE. Our young people deserve to feel safe in their classrooms, and not fearful that the information they’ve entrusted to the state could be used against them.”