Hundreds testify for stronger Trust Act in Connecticut hearing; calls for enforceability and courthouse protections

HARTFORD — Dozens of immigrant advocates, teachers, clergy, social workers and legal experts urged the Connecticut General Assembly Judiciary Committee on Thursday to strengthen HB 7,212, an expansion of the state's Trust Act, calling for enforceability, restrictions on data sharing with federal immigration authorities and specific protections that would bar ICE from arresting people at courthouses.

Supporters told the committee that the current federal enforcement environment has driven families to avoid schools, clinics and courts and that the state can blunt that chilling effect by tightening the Trust Act. "I strongly support HB 72 12 along with the proposed amendments offered by the Trust Act Now Coalition," said Margaret Henderson, board president of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury, in early public testimony.

The hearing drew public speakers from across Connecticut. Many asked the committee to add a private right of action or an independent oversight board so violations of the Trust Act can be investigated and remedied; other recurring requests included prohibiting ICE arrests at courthouses, limiting what personal data state agencies can share with federal authorities, and creating a hotline to report violations.

Why it matters: Witnesses described how fear of federal immigration enforcement can undercut public safety and access to services. "Trust is the name of the act, and trust between law enforcers and community members makes our communities safe," said Paul Garlinghouse, a New Haven attorney, adding that victims and witnesses will hesitate to come forward if they fear immigration consequences. Joanna Dreby, a sociologist who has studied children of immigrants, told the committee that "approximately 1 in 4 children in the United States today have a foreign-born parent," and said enforcement actions and the fear of them reduce school attendance and worsen mental-health outcomes.

What people told the committee - Legal and civil-rights groups asked the panel to add an enforcement mechanism to prevent the Trust Act from becoming purely symbolic. "Any civil rights law without accountability mechanisms is merely symbolic," said Gus Marks Hamilton of the ACLU of Connecticut. - Educators and union leaders described students staying home and families avoiding school functions. Leslie Blato, a teacher and union leader in New Haven, said local policies that keep immigrants from fearing school or court are "central to community safety." - Service providers urged protections for health and treatment facilities. Leaders of the Southeastern Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence recounted armed fugitive-recovery agents entering a residential treatment campus and said they need a statute barring such arrests on treatment grounds. - Organizers and immigrants who testified described personal fear and family disruptions. "We are asking you to use HB 7,212 to protect our families and our children," said Ariana Fernandez, a community organizer from New Haven.

What supporters want lawmakers to add - A clear private right of action or civil remedy and an independent oversight mechanism to record and investigate Trust Act violations. - An explicit ban on ICE arrests and warrantless federal enforcement actions in and immediately around courthouses, to preserve access to justice for victims, witnesses and defendants. - Limitations on state or local collection and sharing of immigration-status data, and prohibitions on using federal immigration officers as interpreters in non-federal settings. - Prohibitions on certain forms of operational assistance to federal immigration enforcement, such as sharing surveillance footage, creating road perimeters, or using state National Guard assets for immigration operations while under state command.

What lawmakers asked and noted: Committee members pressed speakers for evidence about specific incidents and for limits the Trust Act should contain. Several committee members reiterated that Connecticut cannot change federal immigration law but argued the state can control whether its agencies and personnel participate in enforcement activities. Some members also noted that the current Trust Act permits cooperation when federal authorities present a valid judicial warrant or the person is convicted of a very serious crime; witnesses said more explicit protections and enforcement procedures are needed to prevent irregular or extra-judicial actions.

Outlook: Supporters asked the committee to vote HB 7,212 out with the Trust Act Now Coalition's amendments or to incorporate similar protections. Committee members did not take a recorded vote during the hearing; the bill will next move through the Judiciary Committee process.

The hearing brought a cross-section of Connecticut civic life to the microphone: faith leaders, health-care and treatment providers, schoolteachers and administrators, legal scholars and civil-rights organizations. Many speakers asked the legislature both to codify clearly what local agencies may not do and to provide a way for individuals to seek a remedy when the law is violated.

The view from the hearing room: While speakers varied in background and emphasis, they repeatedly framed the proposed changes as both a civil-rights protection and a public-safety measure, arguing the same policies that protect residents from unlawful federal overreach also improve cooperation with local law enforcement and access to schools and health care.

No formal votes were recorded during the public hearing. Committee members said they will consider amendments and continue the legislative process. Supporters pressed for quick action, saying the perceived spike in federal enforcement activity has already changed the daily lives of immigrant families in Connecticut.