Vermont Defies, Counters Trump on Immigration

Vermont pushed back against President Donald Trump’s immigration orders with a new law on Tuesday that limits police involvement with the federal government and gives the governor the power to sign off on agreements for officers to do federal immigration duties. Republican Gov. Phil Scott called it a response to federal overreach by the Trump administration.Under the law, state and local police officers are prohibited from collecting personal information on residents beyond what’s needed to carry out their law enforcement duties. It also bars police in some instances from providing information on residents to federal agents. The bill was introduced in February with support from Vermont leaders of all political stripes, including Democratic Attorney General TJ Donovan and Progressive-Democrat Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman. The bill passed the Senate unanimously and cleared the House by a wide margin. Before signing the bill, Scott addressed concerns that Vermont’s law would conflict with federal immigration laws.