2019 Press Releases

Page 6 of 16

• 8/27/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG CONDEMNS TRUMP ATTEMPT TO IGNORE CLIMATE CHANGE

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing a comment letter opposing the Council of Environmental Quality’s (CEQ) draft guidance on consideration of greenhouse gas emissions under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA serves as the cornerstone of America’s environmental regulatory framework and requires agencies to consider environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions and the effects of climate change, as part of their decision-making process.

• 8/25/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS LAWSUIT OPPOSING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S RULE ALLOWING INDEFINITE DETENTION OF CHILDREN

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of attorneys general today, led by California and Massachusetts, in filing a lawsuit opposing the Trump Administration’s effort to subject immigrant children and their families to indefinite detention through a new rule circumventing the Flores Settlement Agreement, which has governed the treatment of children in immigration custody since 1997.

• 8/22/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG LEADS FIGHT FOR DRIVER'S LICENSES FOR IMMIGRANTS

  Attorney General William Tong led a coalition of nine states today in filing an amicus brief defending New York's Green Light Law, which authorizes the issuance of driving credentials to residents without regard to their federal immigration status.

• 8/21/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS 51 ATTORNEYS GENERAL AND 12 COMPANIES IN FIGHT AGAINST ILLEGAL ROBOCALLS

  Attorney General William Tong today announced that a bipartisan, public/private coalition that he joined, consisting of 51 attorneys general and 12 phone companies, has agreed to adopt eight principles to fight illegal robocalls.

• 8/21/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG CHALLENGES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION EXPEDITED REMOVAL RULE TO UNLAWFULLY DENY IMMIGRANTS DUE PROCESS

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of attorneys general, led by California, in opposing the Trump Administration’s new rule vastly expanding the use of expedited removal.

• 8/21/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG FILES BRIEF TO PROTECT WOMEN'S RIGHTS TO SAFE ABORTION SERVICES

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 16 states led by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul today to file an amicus brief supporting women’s access to safe reproductive health care. The coalition filed the brief in Whole Woman’s Health Alliance v. Hill, which is currently pending in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit.

• 8/20/2019 AG TONG STATEMENT ON TRUMP PLAN FOR INDEFINITE MASS FAMILY DETENTION

  Attorney General William Tong issued the following statement today denouncing the latest plan by the Trump Administration to ignore the Flores settlement and initiate plans for indefinite mass detention of immigrant families.

• 8/19/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG SUES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER PUBLIC CHARGE RULE

  Attorney General William Tong today joined the states of New York, Vermont and the City of New York in suing the Trump Administration over its Public Charge rule that seeks to deny green cards and visas to immigrants that have used or are deemed likely to use government assistance programs. Such a rule would cause immediate and long-term harm to public health and our economy, with particular harm to communities of color.

• 8/15/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS MULTISTATE COALITION OPPOSING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION RULE RESTRICTING ASYLUM ACCESS

  Connecticut Attorney General William Tong today joined a multistate coalition, led by California and Massachusetts, in filing a comment letter opposing the Trump Administration’s attempt to illegally limit access to the asylum process. Under the rule, individuals entering the United States at the southern border, except in limited circumstances, are no longer able to seek asylum unless they applied for and were denied protection in at least one country they transited through prior to their arrival. In a comment letter, the coalition urges the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to rescind the policy.

• 8/15/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG DENOUNCES ATTACK ON ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT

  Attorney General William Tong today denounced the Trump Administration's recent effort to gut the Endangered Species Act. The Office of the Attorney General is reviewing all legal options with partner states and is prepared to join efforts to block the unlawful and harmful changes.

• 8/13/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG TAKES ON FIGHT FOR GUN SAFETY AT U.S. SUPREME COURT

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a multistate coalition fighting to ensure that New York’s independence and sovereignty—along with the rights of all states and municipalities-- are protected in its effort to implement commonsense gun safety regulations. In an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court last night, Connecticut joined a coalition of 13 Attorneys General seeking to uphold that the right of states and localities to impose certain types of firearm regulations when they are substantially related to an important government objective, such as the protection of their citizens.

• 8/12/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS COALITION CONDEMNING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S PROPOSED RULE THAT ELIMINATES ANTI-DISCRIMINATION PROTECTIONS IN HEALTHCARE

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general in submitting a comment letter opposing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) proposed rule to drastically undermine Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), which prohibits discrimination in federal healthcare programs, benefits, and services. Specifically, Section 1557 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and age. The proposed rule would roll back anti-discrimination protections for women, LGBTQ individuals, individuals with limited English proficiency, and individuals with disabilities by undermining critical legal protections that guarantee healthcare as a right.

• 8/12/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS LAWSUIT AGAINST TRUMP'S DIRTY POWER RULE

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 22 states and 7 local governments today in announcing a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "Dirty Power" rule.

• 8/11/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS NATIONWIDE COALITION TO INTERVENE IN CENSUS CHALLENGE

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a 26-member coalition from around the country — including 15 states, the District of Columbia, three counties, six cities, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors — in opposing the State of Alabama’s attempt to advance a discriminatory agenda and tilt the power within Congress and the Electoral College by refusing to count every individual in the 2020 decennial census.

• 8/11/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG TO CHALLENGE PUBLIC CHARGE RULE ATTACK ON IMMIGRANT FAMILIES

  Attorney General William Tong issued a statement today signaling his intent to challenge the Trump Administration's new "public charge" rule, which would deny citizenship and permanent residency to immigrant families who receive, or are deemed likely to need, basic nutrition, healthcare, and housing benefits.