Organizations in Support

To the Burlington City Council:

This letter is written on behalf of several Vermont organizations in support of the No Más Polimigra campaign and resolution to close multiple loopholes in Burlington’s Fair and Impartial Policing Policy (FIPP). We strongly endorse this resolution with the belief that Vermont can and should set an example for the whole country, by setting a precedent for other cities, towns, and states to unite and fight for equal rights for all, including immigrants and undocumented workers.

Despite Vermont’s passage of a Fair and Impartial Policing Policy at the statewide level, our current law leaves several loopholes that allow our local police and sheriffs to collaborate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the arrest, detention, and deportation of undocumented community members.

That is why activists in Migrant Justice and Community Voices for Immigrant Rights have come together in a campaign called No Más Polimigra BTV (which in Spanish means “no more police-immigration collaboration”). We are standing with them in demanding that the Burlington City Council pass a resolution that would tighten Burlington’s Fair and Impartial Policing Policy and prevent any and all collusion between the Burlington Police Department (BPD), ICE and CBP.

The city council resolution being presented is modeled on Winooski’s Fair and Impartial Policing Policy, which was drafted by Migrant Justice and the ACLU of Vermont. Winooski’s improved policy was passed unanimously by the Winooski City Council, and ratified by the Attorney General. Similarly, our proposal for Burlington would close four loopholes that currently allow Burlington police to:

1. Report the immigration status of victims and witnesses of crimes to deportation agents.
2. Ask about a person’s immigration status on suspicion of having recently crossed the border.
3. Share confidential information with immigration agents on grounds of “public safety” or “law enforcement needs.”
4. Give deportation agents access to individuals in police custody, effectively turning local police stations into temporary holding cells for ICE and Border Patrol.

Closing these loopholes will end collaboration of the BPD and immigration authorities and protect the rights of undocumented workers. It will also ensure that our local taxes are spent on programs that benefit our community rather than funding a federal program aimed to intimidate and control immigrants.

Each endorsing organization is involved in the struggle for justice, be it social, economic, climate, health, or otherwise. We all have a common interest in this struggle, because, as the old union slogan taught us, “an injury to one is an injury to all, “ and we see this resolution as critical in our mutual fight for human rights. The Burlington City Council has the opportunity to be at the forefront of this movement, making the Migrant Justice’s slogan, “Vermont Will Fight for Immigrant Rights,” a proven reality and model for the rest of the nation. We strongly encourage you to be a leader and to vote “Yes” on this resolution.

In solidarity,