Middletown's Common Council voted 8-4 on March 2, 2026, to pass a resolution strengthening Connecticut's Trust Act, barring city employees from assisting federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and seeking to end masked immigration raids in the city.
The resolution, drafted by Eric McKeon of advocacy group Middlesex Indivisible, reinforces existing state law that limits local police cooperation with ICE. Its passage signals Middletown's intent to actively enforce those limits rather than rely on state guidance alone.
"The difference is it gives confidence to people who are at risk," McKeon said. "They can now call the police and the police are going to come and make sure it's a legitimate situation."
The Quinnipiac Post monitored Facebook comments regarding this news and found that an overwhelming majority of graduates from the, “School of Hard Knocks” largely disapproved of this decision. While we have not found any official accreditation for political science degrees from this educational platform, rest assured we at the QP will continue to look.
Other trends noticed in various community comment threads were vocal disapprovals stemming largely from non-residents of Middletown, individuals that had been allowed to consume large amounts of lead-based paint in their childhood, and many, many references to cuck chairs, which feels like an odd thing to have at the top of your mind when discussing immigration policies. Regardless, Representitives of Middletown spoke and decided to protect their own.
What Middletown's Trust Act Resolution Does
Under the resolution, Middletown city employees — including police officers — are prohibited from working with the Department of Homeland Security or ICE on immigration enforcement operations. The measure also seeks to stop masked raids, in which federal agents conduct enforcement actions without displaying identifying information, and directs that enforcement focus on undocumented individuals with criminal histories or public safety concerns.
The resolution does not prevent ICE from operating in Middletown; federal agents retain authority to conduct immigration enforcement under federal law. What changes is the city's level of cooperation with those operations.
Connecticut's Trust Act, enacted in 2019, already restricts local law enforcement from honoring ICE detainer requests without a judicial warrant and limits when police can inquire about immigration status. The Middletown resolution reaffirms those protections at the municipal level and adds the request that raids be conducted without masks.
Divided Council Reflects Statewide Debate
The 8-4 vote divided largely along party lines. Republican Deputy Minority Leader Tony Gennaro opposed the resolution, arguing the council moved too quickly on a legally complex issue.
"For an issue involving state law, federal law, constitutional consideration, a 30-minute review is not sufficient," Gennaro said.
Megan Cahill, a resident who supported the resolution, framed its urgency differently. "It's not a matter of if they come to Connecticut, it's a matter of when," Cahill said.
The vote reflects a broader divide in Connecticut over how aggressively cities and towns should push back on federal immigration enforcement. Statewide, lawmakers and municipal governments have taken varying positions on how far to extend local protections.