HARTFORD, CT — Connecticut lawmakers are considering an accountability bill that would hold federal immigration agents liable for constitutional violations committed here. It would also ban federal agents from wearing face coverings when interacting with the public and would require all officers to be clearly identifiable with a visible name and badge.
Senate Bill 39, “An Act Concerning Democracy and Government Accountability,” would also allow for the attorney general to bring action against any law enforcement officer violating constitutional rights and create a database tracking Immigration and Customs Enforcement conduct in Connecticut. The bill would also require the governor’s permission before any armed military force could enter Connecticut for military purposes.
More than 150 were signed up to testify at the Judiciary Committee’s public hearing Monday, and dozens spoke in favor of S.B. 397 as well as Senate Bill 91, which would give Connecticut’s inspector general the authority to investigate and prosecute federal officers who violate state laws. S.B. 91 would also establish protected areas where federal officers could not go without a warrant, such as schools, health care facilities, homeless shelters and houses of worship.
Rep. Patrick Callahan, R-New Fairfield, listens to a response to one of his questions during a public hearing Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. Credit: Doug Hardy / CTNewsJunkie
State Rep. Patrick Callahan, R-New Fairfield, said it seems parts of the bill were prepared “in haste” in order to fit a mold and cater to public pressure.
“This is legislation borne out of public perception,” said state Rep. Greg Howard, R-Stonington.
Public perception and optics were the reasons the inspector general’s office was created in the first place, said state Rep. Steve Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, noting that it brought transparency and built public trust to have an independent office handle investigations of police wrongdoing.
Rep. Greg Howard, R-Stonington, asks a question of Attorney Adrian Mark Baron on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, during a public hearing before the Judiciary Committee in Hartford. Credit: Doug Hardy / CTNewsJunkie
“Senate Bill 397 is a necessary safeguard to protect all residents from federal overreach,” said Peter Benner of West Hartford.
Michele Greenburg, of Greenwich, said Connecticut should be a model “to establish protected areas and limit surveillance and access to immigrant communities.”
“We need to make sure that basic protections remain in place,” said Robert Janis, a minister at Unitarian Society of Hartford. “The Declaration of Independence does not read ‘all men are created equal – except for immigrants.’”
Current law already prevents ICE agents from entering schools in Connecticut, said state Sen. John Kissel, R-Enfield, questioning the need for more legislation in that regard. And after the legislature strengthened the state’s Trust Act last year, federal agents can no longer make immigration arrests inside state courthouses without a warrant, he said.
State Sen. John Kissel speaks at the 2026 CT Education Summit Jan. 28 at the State Capitol in Hartford, CT. Credit: Donald Eng / CTNewsJunkie
Another speaker, however, reminded Kissel that despite this new law, a masked and armed agent made an arrest as recently as January inside a courthouse in New Haven, without prior notification to state judicial officials.
“We’d like to think that when we pass laws in this state, they are followed,” Kissel said. “So that’s disconcerting.”
Majority Leader Sen. Bob Duff takes a moment during a recess to outline the chamber’s rules for debate Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 at the state Capitol in Hartford. Credit: Doug Hardy / CTNewsJunkie
Senate Majority leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, who is one of the main proponents of S.B. 397, said the bill would ensure that all law enforcement officials — local, state, and federal — are “equally held accountable for violating the rights of our citizens.”
“We are living through an unprecedented time with the head of our executive branch having pushed our legal system to its breaking point,” Duff said in his testimony. “I urge a favorable vote and look forward to working with you on this bill as it moves through the legislative process.”