On March 23, the Connecticut legislature’s Judiciary Committee voted on Senate Bill No. 397, a bill whose primary purpose is “to enact statutory provisions providing for the accountable administration and enforcement of law in the state.”
The bill focuses on three key areas: expanding and protecting the rights of citizens when interacting with federal agents, enhancing accountability for law enforcement agents and keeping the public informed about immigration enforcement activities in Connecticut.
This bill was proposed following the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good at the hands of ICE agents in Minnesota.
The bill protects and expands the rights of citizens to sue state and federal officials for constitutional violations, with damages and legal fees available.
While this right was federally protected by the Supreme Court in the 1971 case Bivens vs. Six Unknown Named Agents of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, the Court has not allowed such a lawsuit to proceed in over 30 years.
Additionally, the bill strengthens police accountability through stricter use-of-force rules, mandatory investigations and public reporting of incidents.
It requires officers to be identifiable, restricting the use of masks in most cases, and limits legal immunity should they violate these rules. It also restricts arrests for civil offenses in sensitive locations, including schools, hospitals and places of worship without a warrant. These restrictions also include allowing the state to sue the supervisors of any officer who attempts to stop someone from recording or photographing them.
Finally, the bill establishes a public dashboard that tracks immigration enforcement activity and interactions between local agencies and federal authorities, allowing citizens to remain aware and informed.
Other states have already enacted similar legislation, including California, Massachusetts, Maine and Illinois.
In a press conference on Monday, Connecticut State Attorney General William Tong and Sen. Richard Blumenthal promoted the bill.
“I want to be clear to everybody in this state, in this building, across Connecticut, that it is the policy and the law of the state of Connecticut to respect, honor and protect immigrants and immigrant families, period,” said Tong.
Blumenthal made it clear that the law would not interfere with the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, which states that federal law trumps state law when ruling on the same issue.
“What we have here is basically the state saying our citizens have rights against federal agents in court, and in no way does that in conflict with federal law,” Blumenthal said.
The bill was advanced by the Judiciary Committee on Monday and is now waiting for approval from the Senate.