Delegation assures Cheshire leaders state is monitoring possible federal immigration actions; sanctuary-state limits described

Board members asked Representative Linehan whether federal immigration enforcement might include school-based operations and whether Connecticut can act to prevent agents from entering schools to detain children.

Representative Linehan told the board Connecticut is a sanctuary state in the sense that municipal and state police will not be used to perform the role of federal immigration enforcement (ICE) and that local tax dollars will not fund federal arrests by ICE. She said that does not legally bar federal agents from acting if they have federal authority or warrants: "With that said, that potentially means if there are enough ICE officers and they have a warrant to come and round people up, can they do so? Yes. They can. Is there anything that we can do about it right now? No."

Why this matters: board members voiced concern about school safety and the psychological impact on students if enforcement actions were to occur on school property. Representative Linehan said legislators are monitoring federal plans and seeking clarity about tactics, but she described significant uncertainty because national-level policy details have not been published.

Representative Linehan said state lawmakers are exploring proactive and reactive options and that the question of whether federal agents can enter schools to apprehend targets is under review; she promised to work with colleagues and provide information to the town as it becomes available.

Ending: The delegation offered to compile resources and local legal guidance for residents and to share contact lists for local services such as the ACLU for families with concerns.