The Trump administration’s sweeping moves on immigration could have wide-reaching effects in Connecticut, where state and local officials have often defended the state as a sanctuary for immigrants. WSHU's Davis Dunavin spoke to Sheila Hayre, an immigration lawyer and professor at Quinnipiac University, about what is next .
Sheila Hayre is an immigration lawyer and professor at Quinnipiac University.
WSHU: So obviously, this has been a busy week, an overwhelming week, and I'm wondering what you're seeing on the ground.
SH: Well, I work in a clinic where we see a small range of clients, but already I can tell you, practically all of them are circling back to me and asking questions about everything from, ‘If I am pregnant now and have a child, but I don't have legal status yet, what does that mean? ‘If I somehow get picked up by ICE and my children come home from school and I'm not there, how do I handle that?’ Some of these questions are new, and some of them are old. It's just really difficult because advocates, clients, the courts, and probably folks working in all areas of government are feeling a bit overwhelmed right now, just trying to sort through some of this. And what I try to counsel, having been through Trump 1, is as much as possible to stay calm. A lot of the rhetoric has a chilling effect. And people, if they don't understand their rights, end up being overcautious and end up not enforcing their rights because they're too afraid. And at the same time, there's real fear and there is real danger for a lot of people right now.
WSHU: One new action the Trump administration is taking is that his Justice Department has told U.S. attorneys to investigate and prosecute state and local law enforcement who don't cooperate. Trump advisor Stephen Miller even threatened earlier this month that somebody like Governor Lamont could face prosecution.
SH: I think we're entering the area of unpredictability, depending on how much Trump really plans to act on his promises. To what extent does the rhetoric match the reality? That's number one. And I think if the rhetoric matches the reality, we're entering into relatively unchartered territories in terms of the rule of law suddenly being put to the side and officials who are simply performing their duties being gone after by the federal government. Overall, many of these policies will be upheld, and they have been upheld in the courts already. We've seen a number of cases in Trump 1 challenging sanctuary policies. And again, the devil is in the details. Still, the Trump administration is going to have to look really hard at what kind of funding they can legitimately deny sanctuary cities.
WSHU: As you said, you went through much of this before with Trump 1. Is this notably different, more aggressive, and more intense than what you remember from the first Trump administration?”
SH: “I would say absolutely. I think the birthright citizenship piece is bizarre. But nonetheless, the Trump administration has gotten a head start on this. They have experience in terms of throwing out stuff that makes absolutely no sense. For better or worse, many of these orders make much more sense than some of the nonsense we were seeing early on. And for those of us who believe that we have an immigrant population here in Connecticut -- many of who’ve been here for more than 15 years, long-term residents who come here based on policies that are pretty unclear. I think when you look at the population and what it contributes to our state and the fact that we need immigrants in the workforce, it's unfortunate. But absolutely, they are more prepared and more knowledgeable about the contours of the law, and something about this is going to be frightening, I think, effective and possibly past muster when the courts review it.”
Since this interview, a federal judge has halted Trump’s order overturning birthright citizenship. Attorney generals in eleven states—including Connecticut and New York—have said their state and local law enforcement can’t be commandeered for federal immigration raids.
