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Migrant Justice LogoWindham County No Más Polimigra Campaign

Read our latest press release

Justicia Migrante (Migrant Justice)’s No Más Polimigra campaign advocates the closure of five devastating loopholes in Vermont’s model Fair and Impartial Policing Policy (FIPP). The state policy has been adopted by local departments across the state.

The campaign’s improvements have been adopted by the police departments of Brattleboro, Burlington, Winooski, South Burlington, Hartford, Norwich, Richmond, and by the Addison County Sheriff’s Office. Every reformed policy was approved by the VT Attorney General’s Office.

The Windham wing of the campaign got together in 2020, and began public events and outreach. The Brattleboro Police Department adopted the approvements as soon as they were presented – calling them “a no-brainer” – and quickly got the reformed policy approved by the Attorney General.

The campaign began meeting with Windham County Sheriff Anderson in early 2021. Residents of towns that contract with the Sheriff have been increasing their voices. Three towns have gotten articles on their town meeting ballots.

Sign the online petition to Sheriff Anderson: https://forms.gle/3boquErFhCdQRr8R8

Contact the campaign for information, holding an event, brainstorming, and support.
Email: sfagit@gmail.com

2022 Town Meeting Day

The campaign is celebrating the landslide victories of ballot articles in Putney, Marlboro, and Dummerston! The articles are nonbinding resolutions that urge Sheriff Anderson to adopt the campaign’s FIPP reforms. The outcome makes the will of the Sheriff’s constituents clear.

Now the work is to keep up the activity in those towns, and to ramp up the voices and activity in the other towns that contract with the Sheriff: Westminster, Newfane, Grafton, Saxtons River, Windham, Athens, Halifax, Vernon, Jamaica, and Londonderry.

We cannot rest until these policy reforms are made.
— Come talk about getting something going in your town. There are options of many sizes.
— Come just to be part of the overall campaign.

 

General Contact: Mark sfagit@gmail.com
Dummerston: Ann ann@comcast.net
Marlboro: Francie francie.marbury@gmail.com
Putney: Jane jane.katz.field@gmail.com

Read the Press Release leading to Town Meeting Day.

Sheriff Anderson can and must add these protections right now.

We cannot leave county residents and visitors vulnerable.

County residents, visitors and passers-through who are under-documented—or at risk of being perceived as such—should not live with a looming threat of massive personal upheaval and ruin. It is immoral to delay these protections another minute.

Only written policy grants protection.

Civil rights protections are not in place until they are written. Policy ensures that Sheriff’s deputies know exactly what is expected, rather than leaving collaboration with ICE to individual discretion. Relying on good intentions is the opposite of establishing protection.

The reforms are simple.

There are five changes. Each of them is a single sentence or phrase, inserted into a specific place. Their structural impact is minimal and does not complicate any broader reform process.

Adopting these reforms is legally safe.

The Vermont Attorney General has approved all eight reformed policies as in compliance with state requirements, including how they deal with federal law. These protections can be in place without any legal jeopardy to the Sheriff.

Changed policies are easily approved.

The AG has approved the eight reformed policies quickly and without issue. Brattleboro PD got their changes approved in one month. It does not interrupt any broader reform process.

Five Reforms to Fair and Impartial Policing Policy

No Discrimination in Detentions Discretion (VIII,6)

“…personal characteristics and/or immigration status shall not be used as criteria for citation, arrest, or continued custody.”

Protect Confidentiality (XI,1)

“No information about an individual shall be shared with federal immigration authorities unless necessary to an ongoing investigation of a felony, for which there is probable cause, and the investigation is unrelated to the enforcement of federal civil immigration law.”

Protect Victims and Witnesses (X,4)

“… members shall not share information about crime victims/witnesses with federal immigration authorities, unless it is with the individual’s consent.”

Due Process for Detainees (XI,4)

“Unless ICE or CBP agents have a judicially issued criminal warrant, or members have a legitimate law enforcement purpose exclusive of the enforcement of civil immigration laws, members shall not grant ICE or CBP agents access to individuals in [Agency] custody.”

Close the Border Crossing Pretext (IX)

“… members shall not make warrantless arrests or detain individuals on suspicion of ‘unlawful entry’ unless the suspect is apprehended in the process of entering the U.S. without inspection.”

Other documents:

 

Why this matters

Vermont law enforcement will reach out to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in a variety of circumstances. See examples below:

In this video, a Franklin County Sheriff’s deputy pulls over a driver for registration plate issues. He almost immediately calls for a “Romeo Unit” – border control agents that can be contacted for general assistance. When the unit gets there, the deputy issues the traffic tickets and then turns the driver over to the agents. The agents then interrogate the driver about everyone in the nearby houses, and talk about setting up an ICE raid.

A father and son were driving a farm vehicle and were pulled over for a registration violation. When the deputy saw one of them had a Mexican ID, he radioed for CBP, held them until federal agents arrived, and freely provided information to the Border Patrol agents. The two were arrested, spent six months in immigration detention and were deported.

A Chittenden County Sheriff detained, arrested, and turned over a farm worker to CBP, who incarcerated him and ultimately deported him. What was his alleged crime? Being an undocumented passenger in a car pulled over for speeding. The Sheriff released a report justifying the deputy’s actions based on suspicion of “human smuggling.” The evidence for that suspicion? That the individual and another passenger were “averting their gazes” from the deputy.

A Vermont resident, husband, and father of three, was arrested by Vermont State Police on suspicion of intoxicated driving. After his arrest the trooper made a civilian call to ICE. State police allowed ICE agents to enter the police barracks, interrogate and arrest him. Olman spent months in immigration detention before being reunited with his family.

An officer with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department stopped a farm worker for speeding. Upon observing that the farm worker didn’t speak English, the officer called Border Patrol for “help with translation.” In actuality, the officer had figured out how to communicate using an app on his phone, he just called Border Patrol because he thought the farm worker was undocumented.

An undocumented farm worker summed up what many such workers in Vermont are feeling: “Every morning when I leave my house to drive and I’m looking in the rear view mirror looking over my shoulder because you have to go out not only with fear of immigration but that fear of the police as well, because you’re worried that any interaction, getting pulled over, could result in you getting locked up and deported,” de la Cruz said. “And so you have to live with that emotion, every day.”

 

Frequently Asked Questions

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