Connecticut Enacts Law Limiting ICE Masks, Expanding Safe Zones, Allowing Suits

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has signed Bill 397 into law, creating new restrictions on ICE operations, banning masked enforcement, and allowing residents to sue federal immigration officers in state court.

The law, enacted on or about Monday, May 4, 2026, prohibits law enforcement officers from concealing their identity while performing official duties and expands "sensitive" locations where immigration arrests now require judicial warrants, including schools, hospitals, and houses of worship. It also establishes a state-level cause of action allowing residents to seek civil damages in Connecticut courts for alleged civil rights violations by federal immigration agents.

The measure builds on earlier expansions of Connecticut's Trust Act, which limited local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, and comes amid an ongoing Trump administration lawsuit challenging the state's policies. Critics argue the statute improperly attempts to regulate federal officers and could be struck down in federal court, while supporters frame it as an accountability and civil rights protection measure clarifying limits on enforcement tactics in local communities.