Thursday, February 9, 2017
That’s the gist of a bill unveiled Thursday that both the House and Senate will start considering Friday.
It comes in response to executive orders from President Donald Trump. The orders are so wide-ranging that Vermont officials don’t know what to anticipate.
“Vermont will not be complacent, nor will Vermont be complicit in this federal overreach,” said Attorney General T.J. Donovan.
Tags: Phil Scott , T.J. Donovan , Donald Trump , Don Turner , Heidi Scheuermann , Web Only , Image
Monday, February 6, 2017
Washington and Minnesota successfully sued on Friday to temporarily lift Trump’s travel ban, which had halted all refugee arrivals and immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries.
Trump’s team appealed the order to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Arguments in the matter have been scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Tags: T.J. Donovan , Donald Trump , immigration ban , Vermont , Image , Web Only
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Flights for families and individuals set to be resettled in the U.S. are being booked despite the executive order that President Donald Trump signed on January 27, a U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants official told Seven Days on Sunday. The order bars entry into the U.S. for all refugees and for nationals from seven majority-Muslim countries. On Friday, U.S. District Judge James Robart issued a temporary order in Seattle that lifted the ban nationwide.
"Rebookings are happening for families and individuals planned to arrive across the country," USCRI director of government and community relations Stacie Blake wrote in an email. "While those to be rebooked do include Syrians, none of them had been headed to Rutland."
"We are looking forward to welcoming the families who are scheduled to arrive in Chittenden County in the next couple of weeks," she continued.
Blake said she doesn't know how soon the families will arrive. Such information will not be shared in order to protect their privacy, she added.
She also wrote:
To us, every number is a person and a life saved. It is difficult to imagine the turmoil and confusion the families have experienced the past several days to have hopes dashed and then rekindled. We look forward to returning to the stable, safe and orderly resettlement system the U.S. has used for decades.
Trump's executive order prompted rallies and protests across the country, including in Burlington. The State Department said it had revoked up to 60,000 visas of nationals from the affected countries.
The legal battle over Trump's order is expected to continue.
Tags: Immigration , refugees , Stacie Blake , U.S Committee for Refugees and Immigrants , Donald Trump , Image , Web Only
Friday, February 3, 2017
Vermont’s Republican governor made the announcement following the first meeting of his Civil Rights and Criminal Justice Cabinet, formed this week in the aftermath of the Trump’s edict. (One false note: While the cabinet's membership is somewhat diverse, all those who spoke to the media outside the governor’s Montpelier office were white men.)
Scott focused on one aspect of Trump’s order: a request that state and local authorities take part in immigration and border security efforts. The governor called that “a bit of an overreach” by the federal government. He has said that he would not agree to the request, and he doesn’t want local officials to deal separately with the feds.
“We are going to continue to work over the weekend on language that we will have introduced next week,” Scott said. His office said the bill would specify that only the governor can enter into such agreements on behalf of the state.
Further response to the Trump orders would have to occur within the narrow bounds of state authority, he added.
“That’s what this cabinet is trying to come to grips with,” Scott said. “What can we do to alleviate the fears of those who are here in the state while protecting our constitutional rights from the overreach of the federal government?”
Tags: Phil Scott , TJ Donovan , Donald Trump , Vermont Bar Association , immigration , refugees , Image , Web Only
Why would that be cause for alarm for green card holders? For one thing, it's illegal for non-citizens to vote. And doing so could lead to deportation.
At a time of heightened anxiety in immigrant and non-citizen communities — not to mention President Donald Trump's obsession with voter fraud — the mystery mailings inspired some justifiable conspiracy theorizing on social media. Is this a plot by Trump agents looking to set up non-Americans for voter fraud?
Tags: green card , automatic voter registration , Jim Condos , Chris Winters , Image , Web Only
Thursday, February 2, 2017
That question was on the minds of more than 100 people — mostly from refugee communities — who attended an information session on immigration rights Thursday night at the Association of Africans Living in Vermont in Burlington's Old North End. They wondered what would happen if they leave the country.
Vermont Legal Aid and the Burlington Parks, Recreation and Waterfront Department organized the session to address concerns from the community after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that closed the U.S. to refugees and nationals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Arthur C. Edersheim and Erin Jacobsen, attorneys from the South Royalton Legal Clinic; Michele Jenness, legal services coordinator at the AALV; and Jay Diaz, a staff attorney with the Vermont chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, each gave a short presentation on the travel and immigration ramifications of the executive order.
Representatives of Vermont's congressional delegation also affirmed their commitment to helping those who are affected by the changes. Many attendees took down the contact information of the attorneys and delegates.
A lively hourlong question-and-answer session ensued. A Muslim man said he was worried he would not be granted citizenship because of his religion. A Somali-born parent wondered if her U.S-born children would be stripped of their citizenship. A Bhutanese woman said she wants to bring her husband, who's a Nepali citizen, to Vermont.
Despite the attorneys' repeated assurances that U.S. green card holders will not be affected by the executive order, many Bhutanese attendees, including those who have already acquired U.S. citizenship, were worried they would be barred entry into the U.S. after visiting their relatives in Nepal.
As a safety precaution, Diaz advised green card holders whose country of origin is one of the seven countries to inform family members or friends of their travel plans, in hopes they can get them assistance if they're detained.
Tags: ACLU , AALV , Vermont Legal Aid , immigration , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Rights and Democracy and the Burlington branch of the International Socialist Organization organized the rally after Trump signed an executive order closing the country to refugees and people from seven countries. Protesters filled a large swath of City Hall Park before they marched up Church Street.
Tags: Burlington , Donald Trump , protest , Image , Web Only
Monday, January 30, 2017
His legal team, together with Attorney General T.J. Donovan, will also consider challenging Trump’s travel ban in court if they conclude that it’s unconstitutional. The temporary ban prohibits refugees, as well as citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, from entering the United States.
To further study whether the ban is unconstitutional or unlawful, the governor is creating a “Civil Rights and Criminal Justice Cabinet” that will include legislative leaders, members of Scott’s cabinet, the defender general and law enforcement leaders.
“We believe we need all hands on deck,” Scott said in an interview Monday evening. “This isn’t about trying to make a name for ourselves … it’s about trying to protect Vermonters and Americans alike.”
Tags: Phil Scott , Donald Trump , American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont , immigration ban , Image , Web Only
Gov. Phil Scott and Congressman Peter Welch (D-Vt.) on Monday called President Donald Trump’s executive order halting refugee resettlement and banning immigration from seven Muslim nations unconstitutional.
The bipartisan condemnations came during separate events in different parts of the state. Scott, a Republican, addressed the presidential action Monday afternoon while addressing business leaders at Rutland’s Southside Steakhouse.
“I think this infringes upon our constitutional rights,” Scott said in response to reporters’ questions. “So we’re looking for — seeking ways to push back.”
Trump’s executive order, issued last Friday, halted the resettlement of 25 Syrian families in Rutland. Two families relocated to the city in the week before the order was issued.
Speaking earlier that day at the Community Health Centers of Burlington, Welch said he also viewed Trump’s action as unconstitutional.
Tags: Senator , Phil Scott , Peter Welch , Patrick Leahy , Bernie Sanders , Donald Trump , executive order , immigration , refugees , Image , Web Only
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Republican Gov. Phil Scott spent part of the weekend in “a series of meetings” on the subject, according to spokeswoman Rebecca Kelley, “and will be detailing specific actions” on Monday.
In a statement released Sunday afternoon, Scott praised Vermont’s immigrant heritage, from the Europeans of the 19th and 20th centuries to “the Somali, Vietnamese, Bosnian and Bhutanese families” of more recent vintage.
“I’m going to do everything I can to protect the rights of all Vermonters and the human rights of all people,” Scott said. “That includes standing up to executive orders from Washington that cross legal, ethical and moral lines that have distinguished America from the rest of the world for generations.”
Tags: Senator , Phil Scott , Donald Trump , TJ Donovan , Rebecca Kelley , Jay Diaz , ACLU-VT , Patrick Leahy , Bernie Sanders , Peter Welch , Tom Sullivan , University of Vermont , refugees , immigration , Image , Web Only