Governor Dannel Malloy said on Tuesday that Connecticut is seeking to join other states in challenging the Trump administration’s threat to withhold federal money from so-called “sanctuary cities.”
Malloy says as soon as there were rumors that the Trump administration would adopt such a policy he discussed the issue with the state Attorney General George Jepsen. He says they believe such an action violates state rights under the 10th Amendment of Constitution.
“We will coordinate with like-minded attorneys general, and I think there will be opposition to the president’s abridgement of the 10th Amendment.”
President Donald Trump signed an executive order last Wednesday that targets cities like New Haven and Hartford because they shield undocumented residents from deportation. Malloy says he supports the cities.
“I think we can comply with the laws of the nation and protect those individuals and honor those individuals who need our honor, our respect and our understanding. And I don’t see that there’s a conflict with the constitution of the United States in doing that.”
Trump’s executive action says that communities that fail to comply with federal immigration enforcement agencies will be ineligible to receive most federal grants.
