By Guy Page
U.S. Attorney General has announced the Department of Justice will cut all departmental funding for sanctuary cities, states and not-for-profits – raising questions about the status of a $300,000 grant to Burlington in particular, and $65 million in total grants statewide in general.
The State of Vermont and municipalities now receive $65.4 million in DOJ grant funding. Burlington alone has five grants totalling about $500,000. Also, two Burlington-based not-for-profits receive DOJ funding worth about $1.5 million.
In a letter dated Feb. 5, AG Pam Bondi writes: “Sanctuary jurisdictions should not receive access to federal grants administered by theDepartment of Justice. The Department will exercise its own authority to impose any conditions of funding that do not violate applicable constitutional or statutory limitations……Federal law provides that state and local jurisdictions “may not prohibit, or in any way restrict, any government entity or official from sending to, or receiving from, [federal immigration officers] information regarding the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual.”
Community Justice grant for Burlington – Sen. Peter Welch announced last August he had helped secure a DOJ grant of “$300,000 to the Community Justice Center (CJC) to move into the new Post Apartments—formerly the VFW. The City of Burlington is leasing the space from the Champlain Housing Trust. This grant will support costs associated with moving into the new space, which will finally be designed for the CJC with its intended purpose in mind.’
Both current Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak and her predecessor, Miro Weinberger, have stated that Vermont will protect the rights of all residents, regardless of immigration status. In a December 2017 letter to then U.S. AG Jeff Sessions, Weinberger said Burlington’s immigration stance is consistent with federal law, the Trump administration’s claims notwithstanding.
Is Vermont a Sanctuary State?
Both Scott administration officials and Senate Minority Leader Scott Beck dispute the claim that Vermont is a sanctuary state. Vermont is within its constitutional rights to refuse to cooperate with Border Patrol/ICE traffic stops and raids, they say.
However, the Federation for American Immigration Reform paints a different picture. FAIR lists Vermont as among the 11 sanctuary states, because:
“Vermont became an illegal alien sanctuary state in 2011 when Gov. Pete Shumlin (D) implemented a new policy – on the basis of State Police Rules and Regulations VSP-DIR-301 – that was prompted by the arrest of two Mexican nationals after being stopped for speeding.
“In 2017, Gov. Phil Scott (R) signed Vermont Senate Bill 79, which expanded Vermont’s sanctuary policy to apply to local authorities (while the 2011 policy applied only to the State Police).
“In 2020, as the result of a lawsuit filed by a pro-sanctuary special interest group, the state Department of Motor Vehicles pledged not to report illegal immigrants to the federal authorities.”
Also, in 2013 Vermont passed a law allowing all residents, regardless of immigration status, to receive drivers’ licenses.
Ultimately it will be up to the Trump administration – and perhaps, the courts – to determine whether the State, municipalities and non-profits are in violation of federal law.
