Attorney General Tong: Term ‘Sanctuary’ Divisive In The Cause To Aid Immigrant Community

At a public forum Tuesday night at the University of Bridgeport to share information in advance of Donald Trump’s inauguration, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong whose job includes protecting immigrant families had some advice about usage of the word “sanctuary” be it applied to city or state.

Tong, a product of an immigrant family, said the word inflames people.

“And it puts a target on our backs, and it puts a target on all of your backs. Let’s say what we mean. … What we mean is we’re going to look out for each other.”

He added that he’s also opposed to the term because it implies state residents are doing something contrary to federal law. The word “sanctuary” has no force of law, he added.

Trump has also threatened to withhold federal dollars from cities and states loyal to the “sanctuary” sobriquet.

Mayor Joe Ganim, during Trump’s first term as president, received some blowback for not embracing Bridgeport as a “sanctuary city” as others in Connecticut termed. The City Council, as a show of goodwill to the immigrant community, defined Bridgeport as a “welcoming” city.

Ganim, in addition, issued an executive order prohibiting local law enforcement from aiding U.S. Immigrant Customs Enforcement agents in Bridgeport.

CT Post reporter Brianna Gurciullo shares more:

Asked whether the Bridgeport Police Department works with ICE to detain and deport undocumented immigrants, Chief Roderick Porter, another member of the event’s panel, gave a quick answer.

“That’s an easy question. No, we don’t,” he said, prompting applause in the room. “We are governed by the Connecticut general statutes, and that’s what we follow.”

Porter stressed that no matter people’s immigration status, they should call the police if they witness or are the victim of a crime.

“We do not ask (about) your status,” he said.

Full story here