In South Burlington, the City Council has officially condemned the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown.
Before he read the full text of the “Resolution to Condemn Surveillance and Enforcement Practices of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol” draft, Councilor Laurie Smith noted the matter is urgent.
“It feels that we are dealing with a situation that is eroding the foundation of our democracy, potentially. And it is quite time sensitive given the events that are happening in our country. And I think it's important for us as a body to stand forward with Boston and Williston and the state legislature and the governor to express our concerns and our um..."
Barritt suggests, "Solidarity?"
Smith continues, "... solidarity with abiding by our constitutional norms and protecting our democracy.”
Given the stakes, the council said it wanted to make sure it got the language right.
One clause condemned the killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti as “unjustified and unlawful and incompatible with constitutional governance and due process.” During public comment, resident John Killacky asked that the council broaden the language to include others who have been victims of ICE actions.
“Last year there were 32 people that died with ICE and this year there have been eight. And the two that we are mentioning are incredibly tragic. The other six who have died are people of color. So I'm not sure it's best to name the two people, two white people, when we have had so many other people killed as well. So I would suggest striking their names and say for all those that have been killed or however you want to phrase it.”
Council Chair Tim Barritt said using Good’s and Pretti’s names reinforces the purpose of the resolution.
“I really want those two people's names in there. I am sure that there has been a lot of suffering that has gone on because of the recent ICE actions across the country since January 20. These two deaths here are paramount in the sense that it totally illustrates what's going on, especially in Minneapolis, and I really feel strongly that we need to keep those names in there to honor what they died for.”
Councilors agreed to change where their names appear in the resolution and recognize other victims.
Councilor Andrew Chalnick said he would support the revised resolution as he offered a litany of concerns about the federal administration.
“The actions of ICE and the constitutional violations are repugnant and gut wrenching. But I think it's important to put the actions of ICE in the context of so much damage being caused by this administration that I truly believe are at least as great a threat to our democracy as ICE and indirectly over time will probably result in more death and damage.”
The clauses in the resolution note that Vermont currently hosts at least two national Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, which are monitoring social media. It references Gov. Phil Scott’s recent statement following the killing of Alex Pretti that it is “not acceptable for American citizens to be killed by federal agents for exercising their God-given and constitutional rights to protest their government.”
Councilor Anne Pugh is a former state legislator who was appointed to the South Burlington council in July 2025 to fill the term of Mike Scanlan. She will leave the position following Town Meeting Day elections in March.
“Even though I have one more meeting, this is probably the most significant vote for me that I will have taken as a city councilor.”
The South Burlington City Council unanimously approved the reworked resolution to condemn ICE actions.
