The Daily Fuckup

The Justice Department filed suit on April 13, 2026, against Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont, Attorney General William Tong, the city of New Haven, and Mayor Justin Elicker over state and local sanctuary policies. The complaint says those policies interfere with federal immigration enforcement and specifically targets Connecticut’s Trust Act along with New Haven’s Welcoming City executive order. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-connecticut-city-new-haven-over-sanctuary-policies?utm_source=openai))

The city’s Welcoming City order is part of a longer Connecticut fight over how much local officials should cooperate with federal immigration authorities. In response to the lawsuit, Lamont, Tong, and Elicker said the Trump administration’s filing contains “inaccuracies and untruths” about New Haven’s policy and defended the city’s approach as consistent with state and local law. ([portal.ct.gov](https://portal.ct.gov/ag/press-releases/2026-press-releases/joint-statement-on-lawsuit-filed-by-trump-administration?utm_source=openai))

At the center of the case is a familiar legal clash: the federal government says sanctuary policies obstruct enforcement, while Connecticut and New Haven say their rules are meant to set local boundaries and keep residents willing to deal with city government without fear that routine contact will turn into immigration enforcement. The Justice Department says the policies are preempted under the Supremacy Clause and says the lawsuit is part of a broader campaign against sanctuary jurisdictions nationwide. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-connecticut-city-new-haven-over-sanctuary-policies?utm_source=openai))

The fight now moves to federal court in Connecticut, where the legal question is narrower than the politics around it. The government will have to show that the challenged policies actually conflict with federal law, not just that Washington dislikes them. Connecticut and New Haven, meanwhile, are likely to argue that the state and city are entitled to choose how their own agencies interact with immigration enforcement. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-connecticut-city-new-haven-over-sanctuary-policies?utm_source=openai))