Sen. Sampson Slams CT Democrats’ Continued Protection of Criminal Illegal Immigrants

Senate GOP amendment to restore cooperation with ICE for most violent criminal illegal immigrants fails along party lines.

Watch Sen. Sampson’s remarks here.

Senior Deputy Senate Republican Leader Rob Sampson (R-Wolcott) today rebuked Senate Democrats following their party-line rejection of a Senate Republican amendment that would have enabled cooperation with federal authorities to remove illegal immigrants who have serious criminal convictions posing a threat to public safety.

Sen. Sampson and Senate Republicans offered the amendment to revise the 2019 Democrat Trust Act that would reverse a provision shielding criminal illegal aliens convicted of Class C and D felonies that include burglary, robbery, theft of a firearm, possession of child pornography, and other offenses from federal immigration authorities.

“We are talking about criminal illegal immigrants who have inflicted serious harm on people in our state. This amendment provided us with a very simple choice. We are either here to support it and allow state and local authorities to cooperate with ICE and remove obstacles to public safety, or we are here to continue to shield criminal illegal immigrants, block ICE officials from doing their job, and make this state less safe. This choice is obvious to my constituents. I hope that more and more people come to realize how extreme a position the majority has taken on this subject of illegal immigration,” said Sen. Sampson.

The Senate GOP amendment was offered in response to a Democrat omnibus bill considered during the Nov. 13 special legislative session. The bill included a provision further expanding the Trust Act by blocking federal authorities from accessing any state-owned or leased property — including abutting sidewalks or walkways — for illegal immigration enforcement actions.