By Kolby LaMarche

The City Council is set to vote tonight on an “ICE Out of Burlington” resolution, a strongly worded measure sponsored by the full council that condemns U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) practices under President Trump, calls for the agency’s dismantling, and urges federal and state officials to safeguard residents from expanded enforcement.

The resolution details ICE’s shift toward broader operations, including a 650% increase in deportations of non-criminal individuals compared to the prior administration, as noted in the resolution. A 600% rise in child arrests, and reports that less than 14% of 2025 arrests involved violent criminal records. 

It further references national incidents, such as the December 31, shooting of Keith Porter Jr. by an off-duty ICE agent in Los Angeles and at least six additional BIPOC deaths linked to ICE operations in 2026, along with the killings of U.S. citizens Renee Nicole Good and Alex Jeffrey Pretti in Minneapolis during protests over raids.

In Vermont, the document points to ICE’s operational footprint in Chittenden County, including Williston facilities, where advocates report more than 100 detentions over the past year disrupting immigrant and refugee families. 

Though the resolution is toothless, in that it cannot stop federal agents, it builds on what Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak has done regarding ICE. 

On January 26, during a regularly scheduled City Council meeting, she publicly announced plans to convene senior city leadership—including Burlington Police Chief Shawn Burke and other department heads—to develop preparedness strategies in the event of increased federal immigration enforcement activity within city limits. 

The mayor’s order directs departments to strengthen emergency management plans, improve community alert systems, and prioritize resident safety and constitutional protections. 

Adding to these protective measures, Burlington’s 2020 Fair and Impartial Policing policy that prohibits local officers from inquiring about immigration status or detaining individuals without judicial authorization. 

In a joint statement with Burlington School District Superintendent Tom Flanagan, the mayor emphasized unity, declaring that “Burlingtonians—and Vermonters—have always met moments like this by standing together.”

On New Year’s Day 2026, Hussien Noor Hussien, a 63-year-old Somali taxi driver and father of five living in South Burlington, was detained by ICE agents while waiting in the taxi lane at Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport. 

Surveillance video showed agents surrounding his vehicle, removing him, and handcuffing him before transport. Hussien, a longtime Vermont resident who had cooperated with immigration processes, was held for over a month at Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans before a judge released him on bail in early February. Community members rallied in his support, describing him as a respected elder.

The airport has also faced scrutiny for its role in detainee transfers. Activists documented over 450 ICE detainees moved through the facility since early 2025, including some via nonpublic side entrances early in the morning. In one prior case, Turkish student Rümeysa Öztürk was transferred to Burlington International Airport after her 2025 arrest in Massachusetts and held overnight before relocation to Louisiana detention.

The resolution goes on to reaffirm Burlington’s immigrant-supportive policies, including language access to materials on legal and civil rights education.   

Similar measures have spread across Vermont: South Burlington condemned ICE practices in early February, Williston passed its own resolution in January, and state lawmakers advanced bills for agent accountability, access to counsel, and restrictions on warrantless actions. South Burlington has also passed its own resolution. 

Vermont’s attorney general joined multistate challenges to federal deployments.

The resolution further urges Congress to reorganize immigration enforcement, reassign border duties, and hold oversight hearings. It opposes ICE use of local facilities, warrantless surveillance, and entry to municipal property without judicial warrants. It calls on state officials to enforce constitutional protections and pursue accountability legislation.

Burlington Daily News will provide updates as they develop.