Connecticut Attorney General William Tong’s office says federal officials are not honoring an agreement to accept the validity of state pardons and are still trying to deport people pardoned by a state board because of their crimes. Tong’s office sued the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies in 2019, saying they were refusing to honor state pardons in deportation cases. Federal officials at the time argued pardons must come from the president and state governors, not state boards. A tentative settlement of the lawsuit was reached last year. But now state officials say federal authorities are not honoring an agreement to recognize state pardons.
