DCF Immigration

Welcome to DCF's Immigration Hub!  Navigate to:

DCF Policy  CT State Policy Pending Legislation Legal Remedies Health Care Resources Immigrant Assistance Programs Legal Help Federal Court Decisions Newspaper Articles Scholarly Journals

description DCF Policy

DCF serves all families of Connecticut, regardless of immigration status.  DCF never reports immigration status to ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

 

location_city CT State Policy

The Connecticut Trust Act limits CT law enforcement cooperation with ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement).  The law was passed in 2013 and strengthened in 2019.  

Read More:

• Press Release from Governor Ned Lamont
• Senate Bill 992, An Act Concerning the Trust Act
• House Bill 1115, An Act Concerning a Study of the State's Civil Laws

In July 2021, Governor Ned Lamont signed HB-6687, An Act Concerning Medical Assistance for Children and Adults without Healthcare Coverage, into law.  This act extends eligibility for medical assistance (i.e. Medicaid) to certain groups of people, regardless of immigration status, who do not otherwise qualify for healthcare coverage.  There are age and income requirements associated with this act.  Many sections do not immediately go into effect.

Read More:

• House Bill 6687 - Public Act No. 21-176, An Act Concerning Medical Assistance for Children and Adults without Healthcare Coverage
• Office of Legislative Research Bill Analysis

 

pending_actions Pending Legislation

• No legislation is pending at this time.  The 2022 session of the Connecticut General Assembly will convene in February 2022, and relevant pending legislation will be added at that time.

 

edit Legal Remedies

• U Visa Certification
  • The U nonimmigrant status (U visa) is set aside for victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity.  Read more here.
  • U Visa Info for Government Agencies
• T Visa Certification
  • T nonimmigrant status is a temporary immigration benefit that enables certain victims of a severe form of human trafficking to remain in the United States for up to 4 years if they have assisted law enforcement in an investigation or prosecution of human trafficking.  It is also available for certain qualifying family members of trafficking victims.  Read more here.
  • T Visa Info for Government Agencies
• Asylum
  •  A person in the United States may apply for asylum regardless of country of nationality or immigration status if they were persecuted or have a fear that they will be persecuted because of their race, nationality, religion, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.  Read more here.
• Refugees
  • Under U.S. law, a refugee is someone located outside of the United States who is of special humanitarian concern to the United States and who demonstrates that they were persecuted or fear persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group and is not firmly resettled in another country or admissible to the United States.  Read more here.
  • For the legal definition of refugee, see section 101(a)(42) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
• Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
  • Those who are in the United States and need to protection of a juvenile court due to abuse, abandonment, or neglect by a parent may be eligible for Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification.  If SIJ classification is granted, one may qualify for lawful permanent residency.  Read more here.

 

health_and_safety Health Care Resources for People without Documentation

• Federally Qualified Health Care Centers (FQRCs)
  •  There are 138 FQRCs in Connecticut. All are listed here.
• Community Health Care Center of Connecticut
• Fairfield County Health Care Services
• Building One Hospital
• Emergency Departments
• Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS)
• Department of Public Health (DPH)

 

volunteer_activism Immigrant Assistance Programs

• IRIS
• CIRI
• Catholic Family Services
• 211
• Yale Pediatric Refugee Clinic
• Unfunded Care at CT Hospitals
• Building One Community (Fairfield County)
• UniteCT Rental Assistance

 

gavel Legal Help

• IRIS
• CIRI
• Greater Hartford Legal Aid
• Greater New Haven Legal Services
• Fairfield County Legal Services
• Connecticut Legal Services

 

Federal Court Decisions

 (Coming soon)

 

article Newspaper Articles

• "Today's SCOTUS Decision on the Remain in Mexico Policy" (8/24/21) - LA Times
• "Permanent Residents Who Left the U.S. During the Pandemic Worry They Can't Come Home" (7/24/21) - NPR
• "The Biden Administration Vows to Appeal a Federal Ruling Deeming DACA Unlawful" (7/17/21) - NPR
• "US judge rules DACA program illegal, suspends new applications" (7/16/21) - Reuters
• "Cuba and Haiti upheaval could mean twin migration crises" (7/14/21) - Washington Post
• "ICE to avoid detaining pregnant, nursing, and postpartum women" (7/9/21) - Washington Post
• More immigration news

 

local_library Scholarly Journals

• "Immigrant Families and Child Welfare Systems: Emerging Needs and Promising Policies," Migration Policy Institute

 

CT Attorney General Advisories

(Coming soon)

Questions?  Contact:

Jennifer Avenia, JD, LCSW
Director of Immigration Practice
Department of Children and Families
505 Hudson Street | Hartford, CT | 06106
Office: 860-560-5096 | Work Cell: 860-505-5751
jennifer.avenia@ct.gov