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Reddit video of Vermont Police assisting federal authorities entering a Dorset Street, South Burlington home in search of illegal immigrant, who was not present.
by Kolby LaMarche
Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak broke her silence late Thursday evening on the ICE raid, calling for an investigation, and turning online comments off.
Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak broke her silence late Thursday evening on the South Burlington ICE raid, condemning federal agents for “instruments of terror” while mounting a careful defense of Burlington police officers’ role in the daylong standoff that left protesters injured and trust in City Hall badly shaken.
The statement—more than 600 words, released via email and posted to official city channels with comments disabled—arrives as residents flood advocacy channels with complaints, videos of alleged excessive force, and demands for answers about why Burlington officers were deployed to a neighboring city’s federal operation.
City officials have quietly removed dozens of critical comments from the mayor’s official Facebook page and disabled comments on a number of posts – including her statement.
Mulvaney-Stanak described the March 11 ICE actions as “deeply disturbing,” pointing to the high-speed chase down Dorset Street during morning rush hour, the raid on a private home, the detention of three immigrant Vermonters unrelated to the primary target, and violent clashes with protesters that included tear gas and pepper spray.
She aligned herself with Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George in calling for a formal U.S. Attorney’s Office investigation into federal conduct.
Yet the bulk of her remarks focused on explaining—and defending—the Burlington Police Department’s involvement.
Officers responded, she said, only after South Burlington requested mutual aid as crowds grew to hundreds and the scene turned volatile.
Without local police on site, the mayor warned, the situation could have spiraled into the kind of unchecked escalation seen in Minneapolis during past ICE engagements, where absent municipal support reportedly contributed to extreme violence and civilian deaths.
Mulvaney-Stanak acknowledged the “impossible scenarios” local law enforcement faces: legally barred from interfering with valid federal immigration enforcement, yet duty-bound to intervene in cases of assault, excessive force, or imminent harm.
She praised officers for their professionalism under pressure and confirmed their full compliance with her Executive Order 2026-1, which requires on-site contact with ICE supervisors, body-camera activation, evidence preservation, and reporting of any apparent state-law violations.
Additionally, Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak announced the start of a use-of-force investigation against Officer Julian Gonzalez, accused by many residents of too forcefully pushing protesters.
The Progressive caucus released a statement Thursday night endorsing much of what the mayor said in her statement, adding “This is the type of action we expect from a dictatorship, not the United States of America.”
Those details have done little to quiet the storm, however.
Many online, in numerous forums, and one protester who spoke to BDN, shared their disappointment in Mulvaney-Stanak’s response, with some promising to organize and show-up to the mayor’s community meet-ups. “Make her a one-termer,” one resident wrote.
Migrant Justice and other groups that helped organize the protest continue to frame the three detentions as collateral damage in a botched manhunt.
Online petitions target the Police Commission with calls for discipline, while residents question the wisdom—and optics—of diverting Burlington resources to support federal immigration enforcement in any capacity.
Governor Phil Scott issued a sharp rebuke just hours before Mulvaney-Stanak’s, accusing ICE of a “lack of training, coordination, leadership, and outdated tactics,” placing both protesters and local officers in unnecessary danger, he argued.
Legislative leaders and Vermont’s federal delegation echoed demands for accountability and stronger warrant standards.
Mulvaney-Stanak said she is already in touch with South Burlington counterparts to review the incident, will examine all body-camera footage, preserve evidence for investigations, and press federal authorities for procedural reforms.
Burlington Democrats have not yet released a statement. You can read Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak’s full statement here.
Editor’s Note: Hours before Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak’s statement, BDN sent in a request for comment, as likely other outlets did.
And while we can’t speak for them, we didn’t receive a response this time. Or even a press release, or an email to the general “residents” list. Instead, the mayor chose to post her statement, graphically designed, to social media, before disabling the comments.
BDN believes in transparency and, most importantly, in the right of the public to scrutinize or celebrate their leaders, online or in-person. When comments are shut down, that is why outlets, platforms, like BDN exist.
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Categories: Border, Burlington
Maybe ten ICE agents vs. maybe a hundred protestors. Which ones should be worried???
who has guns and who
doesn’t?
@dgllgh8
At least a protestor wasn’t stupid enough to brandish one at this rally. We saw what happens when an ICE agent gets threatened. If I were one of them and someone threatened me with a gun or vehicle, I’d be firing too!!
A lot of people are missing the forest for the trees here. No protester has a right to commit a felony (like smashing the window out of an officer’s vehicle ). And Governors and Mayors who encourage such behavior by their so called “sanctuary” policies apparently fail to see that by encouraging law breaking are making their cities and states far less safe. Minnesota, and Minneapolis are text book examples of this. It is an irrefutable fact that in comparison, States like Florida where local police and elected officials pro-actively work with Federal Officers dangerous and chaotic scenes like what just took place in South Burlington are NOT happening.
18 U.S. Code § 111 – Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees
(a)In General.—Whoever—
(1)forcibly assaults, resists, opposes, impedes, intimidates, or interferes with any person designated in section 1114 of this title while engaged in or on account of the performance of official duties; or
(2)forcibly assaults or intimidates any person who formerly served as a person designated in section 1114 on account of the performance of official duties during such person’s term of service,
shall, where the acts in violation of this section constitute only simple assault, be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both, and where such acts involve physical contact with the victim of that assault or the intent to commit another felony, be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 8 years, or both.
Gov. Scott accused the sworn agents of “outdated tactics”. If they really wanted to use outdated tactics, dogs and firehoses would have been deployed, batons would have cracked skulls and ONE warning would have been given to back off before deadly force was justifiably used. In the face of what these law enforcement personnel have been dealing with in the way of threats and real anarchy over the past months, they appeared to use great restraint. Sorry Governor, I know that politically you have to stand in the middle ground on this, but that bit of capitulation invites future trouble, and it’s not your purview to be monday morning quarterback and micromanage how sworn, trained officers behave in a very volatile and hostile situation. The citizens of this country need a serious refresher course on how to behave when interacting with sworn officers of the law. If you as a law-abiding protester have a problem with their methods and behavior, you take it up later with a judge or attorney. They have the legal right to use force, you do not. They have taken an oath to uphold the Constitution, you have not.
How are these “protesters” organized/paid?
I’m guessing $ingham, $oro$, et al.
Where is the crook they were looking for???????
Still on the loose
He is still on the lamb, but nothing to worry about. All he did wrong was enter the country illegally in 2021, then he was legally deported in 2022. Then, unbeknownst to authorities, he illegally re-entered the country. Then he was picked up In Middlebury for illegally driving while intoxicated in January. What possible safety risk could such a model citizen be?
When did the Mayor of Burlington last read The First Amendment?
…Or did she EVER read the first amendment?
So basicallythe mayor suppressed free speech because it wasn’t fitting her narrative. Typical behavior.
Somebody just woke up…even if just temporarily
Typical; they create the scenario and then they’re angry at the results. I’m sure it’s the administration’s fault, or the Department of homeland, security or immigration and customs fault solely. Not.
If the Mayor was doing her job ICE would not be needed.
It is that simple.
ICE comes in to close a gap that either the local pols refuse to enforce, or are so stupid they are blind to the threats in their jurisdiction…in which, they are sworn to serve and protect, by the way.
There are gaps in this coverage by the locals, in the state, so expect more ICE actions.
This mayor is a walking disaster. She has been worthless and useless since the day she was elected. But you notice she gave herself and her girlfriend a raise! Progressive and Democrats are exactly the same terrorist group. She is a communist. The easy way to fix the problem is to step down and get out of the state of Vermont because you don’t belong here. We want the illegals gone. We want the refugees gone. We want our state back.
“you don’t belong here”
GTFOH with that nonsense.
She was born and raised in Barre.
And that “girlfriend” you referred to is her wife.
She really is a worthless walking disaster. Burlingtonians – MAKE SURE YOU VOTE so we don’t end up with hideous losers like Emma.
RE: Progressive caucus statement “This is the type of action we expect from a dictatorship, not the United States of America.”
Your statement is ridiculous and nonsensical.
If you want the laws changed, go after your deadbeat US Congressmen (Sanders, Welch, Balint). Don’t go after the men and women tasked with upholding law and order.
No, this is the type of action we expect and DEMAND from a nation ruled by law, order, and equality under justice for all.
Maybe if people stayed home and let ICE do their job there wouldn’t be any problems. Clean up America ICE!!!!
The problem with Chittenden County, Burlington in particular, is spelled out perfectly in this article in this statement:
“She aligned herself with Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George in calling for a formal U.S. Attorney’s Office investigation into federal conduct”
Two people who will put up with high crime rates at the expense of diversity, drug use and both ONLY hold people in authority accountable for anything. Drug dealers are let go and petty crime is rampant. I really hope the protestors who were arrested are federally charged so that George won’t dismiss the charges.
So just to understand this correctly, one can speed through Burlington and smash into Federal vehicles, leave the scene, and run into a house and the local cops can’t do anything? What if ICE wasn’t even a part of this? If the ran into a USDA vehicle, would they wait for federal law enforcement? Think about it! If you call 911, do they ask if the Feds are involved first?
I would love to take up a collection to build a high fence or wall around the City of Burlington. I bet we could get enough rugged real Vermonters to show up on a Saturday and just get it built for minimal cost. Yep, I’ll supply the beer when the work is done. Burlington doesn’t deserve to be a part of Vermont. Let them be their own country while we will require them to show passports to enter the rest of our state. Don’t you just love how they disable the comments when they use their bully pulpit to espouse their dumb ideas? Afterall, they don’t want to hear it from the peasants.
It’s clear that there is passionate objection to ICE’s pursuit of illegal aliens. For decades we elected governments that encouraged folks to jump the fence and go underground as clandestin citizens in our midst. If we’d like to see less ICE action wouldn’t it helpful to step up and help these people go home? …help to alleviate the consequences of our shared mistakes …to make their transition less painful?