Speaking with Vermont Public Radio Thursday, Weinberger announced his intention to make Burlington a sanctuary city for immigrants, codifying protections for undocumented immigrants who are pulled over by police, and prohibiting municipal workers or law enforcement from asking about immigration status.
Burlington already meets most of those requirements, and considered formally becoming a sanctuary city in the early 2000s, Weinberger noted.
“Our practices have been consistent with cities that consider themselves sanctuary cities and what I think it is time for now, given the uncertainty in the community, is for us to take that step and to formalize our practices into policy,” he said.
The announcement comes in the wake of Trump’s call to strip federal funding from sanctuary cities, which he blamed for “so many needless deaths.”
“Cities that refuse to cooperate with federal authorities will not receive taxpayer dollars, and we will work with Congress to pass legislation to protect those jurisdictions that do assist federal authorities,” he told crowds on the campaign trail in August, according to CNN.
Weinberger characterized the move as a necessary pushback against Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric and policies. And while the decision may endanger some federal funds, he anticipated that the financial impact on the city will be “modest.”
“What I want Burlingtonians to know, and what I particularly want the immigrants living in this community to know, is that you are living in the same Burlington today that you were living in before last Tuesday’s election,” he said.
Weinberger said that he will work with the city council to formalize the changes within the coming weeks.
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Wait – I thought Burlington was an Anti-Nuclear City . Can it also be a Sanctuary City ? Also it is a sister city with ,no I’m not making this up , Bethlehem and Arad , Israel/Palestine & Burlington, Ontario, Canada & Honfleur, France & Moss Point, Mississippi & Nishinomiya, Japan & Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua & Yaroslavl, Russia . Plus in the words of the Burlington site , it “has also actively participated in regional “sister lake” relationships.”. I don’t know how we could possibly fit in another very very important designation .
How is it possible for the city of Burlington or any Vermont town to afford paying for ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, Vermont social program are already stretched thin as it is. Now Weinberger wants to spend more of the tax payers money on people that don’t pay into the system. People need to follow the rules of law and come to this country legally. If they come legally I say give them help but if they broke the law to get here they are not entitled to any of the working people’s tax money. Our country has enough problems of our own we can’t be paying for a bunch of outlaws and that’s what people that sneak into our country are OUTLAWS. I would like to see anyone that supports Weinbergers idea to try to sneak into Mexico and live and see how the Mexican government treats them.
If we have to give up Federal money what’s going to happen when the airport needs Runway work or other such work and money cleaning up the lake I believe a lot of that is federal hey I’m sure there’s a lot more and I don’t know about like when they did the Breakwater was that Federal or partial wait till all the sewer and water lines have to be replaced they are ready for replacement now they were headed for big trouble expensive trouble I think The voters should decide that and make sure they know what they’re voting for
We are Vermont strong. We stand up for the oppressed, for those in need, and do it proudly. This is not about money. It is about our ideals, our way of life. The Green Mountain Boys have stood for freedom for a very long time. We will not stop now.
For Mayor Weinberger to simply say “immigrants” fails to make the large distinction between legal immigrants (including refugees from war-torn areas like Syria) versus illegal aliens. There is no threat to legal immigrants, including most of Burlington’s refugee population.
I am surprised the Mayor and Police Chief Brandon Del Pozo are saying the police will no longer cooperate with the FBI; the Border Patrol; the US Attorney’s Office and Department of Justice, etc. on this matter. Yes, illegal aliens are human beings who deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. That means spending tax dollars on deportation centers that provide food, clothing, shelter, etc., not to mention a measure of due process, as we have along the southern border. But isn’t part of dignity and respect also enforcing our laws? If your child flagrantly breaks family rules, do you reward them by giving them sanctuary from family rules and let them dictate the rules? Dessert and candy for dinner every night because that’s what they want?
I don’t think it’s realistic or moral to deport all 11 million plus illegal aliens when employers have also broken the law & hired them and Congress and prior Presidents have failed to enforce the law. Trump has already backed away from this. But prior wrongs do not make a right. And to deport illegal aliens with a criminal record and people who have flagrantly abused and violated their visa terms and committed crimes does not seem beyond the pale. This is essentially what Trump said on 60 Minutes.
This discussion is so dishonest. It is dishonest when the media, including in this article, references “undocumented immigrants.” The correct term and legal term is illegal alien. And even from a semantic standpoint, an illegal alien no doubt has documents such as a birth certificate or passport from their home country. They are not “undocumented.”
Does Mayor Weinberger agree with the late, great African-American, Democrat Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, who chaired Bill Clinton’s own Bipartisan Commission on Immigration Reform? The Commission appropriately said that demonizing immigrants is absolutely wrong and antithetical to our values. But they also said it is wrong to manipulate and abuse the system to allow for open borders and unlimited streams of uneducated, unskilled labor that undermines and competes directly with our own most disadvantaged US citizens. Which has been the de facto policy for many years. Bernie Sanders, consistent with this, said a few years ago that open borders is a scheme to drive wages down to $2 to 3 an hour. The Barbara Jordan Commission recommended deporting illegal aliens; reducing legal immigration from one million plus per year to 500,000 per year; and ending chain migration. And, according to the Boston Globe, as soon as Ms. Jordan died (and with it, her ethical and moral leadership from the Civil Rights and Watergate eras), President Clinton backed away as a favor to Chinese campaign donors.
There are almost 8 billion people in the world and probably 2 or 3 billion would love to come to the United States. We cannot keep up this unlimited population growth and remain an environmentally sustainable society. California has gone from 20 million to roughly 40 million in 40 years and we are seeing the impacts in that desert climate of severe drought and water shortages (impacted by agriculture as well). The sad thing is if the Democrats (and corporatist Republicans) had already dealt with this issue, there never would have been the opening for someone like Donald Trump to gain traction.
Strongly recommend Professor James Gimpel’s “The Congressional Politics of Immigration Reform” to understand how we got here.
The lack of details in this article allow for biased message board posters to fill in the blank. The following sampling of statements are false and demonstrate the need for Seven Days to inform versus sharing highlights from a press conference:
– “Weinberger wants to spend more of the tax payers money on people that don’t pay into the system.” – They pay the same taxes we do.
– “…that’s what people that sneak into our country are OUTLAWS.” – Many undocumented citizens were babies or children when their parents entered the U.S. As adults now, they know no other home.
– “If we have to give up Federal money what’s going to happen when (we need)… money cleaning up the lake…” – Nothing. It’s a state & federal project.
– “…the police will no longer cooperate with the FBI; the Border Patrol….” – Forcing our police to prioritize a residency check on ALL citizens does nothing to address Burlington’s pressing issues.
– “The correct term and legal term is illegal alien.” – This is an opinion, not fact.
– “…an illegal alien no doubt has documents….” There are countless reasons why documented AND undocumented immigrants have no docs.
– ” California has gone from 20 million to roughly 40 million in 40 years and we are seeing the impacts in that desert climate of severe drought….” – Blaming immigrants for global warming is a red herring.
– “…if the Democrats (and corporatist Republicans) had already dealt with this issue, there never would have been the opening for someone like Donald Trump to gain traction.” – This is an opinion, not fact. Election watchers are unified that Trump won the election primarily due to his promises for economic prosperity, not over immigration.
Why does the Mayor want this to become a Sanctuary City?? As it is, they have taken up most of the low rental housing which is needed by the citizens that live here. There is a housing crisis but he has done nothing to help out in that area even though he has said there is. He is obviously just thinking about how much money the City can make off of the Feds for doing this!! I would love him to try and live as a homeless person for a month but I bet he wouldn’t last for a day! He is the typical politician, say one thing and does another!! Also a lot of them are always arrested for some type of illegal activity…
Is Whinnyberger serious??? Sanctuary City??? How much money is he getting..Here’s a little fact .when immigrants are brought here, for 10 yrs they have no taxes taken out of them if they get a job,the Fed government pays 55% of their pay and the business pays 45% of it..they get free healthcare, housing, school,car, allotment for clothing and food stamps, plus lot more..So the taxpayers pay for most of everything…
Tiki please refer to Donna’s post to get the facts you seem to not know about when it comes to the taxes paid by the people that benefit from sanctuary cities, and the other perks they receive for breaking the law. Besides the fact that the 1% im sure you hate pays 90% of the taxes in this country and Im sure these poor imagrints won’t be paying any taxes. As for the undocumented children, their parents will have to explain that when you break the law it is not just you that pays a price. How about next time a herion dealer that has kids in the house gets busted for selling a deadly bag to someone the cops just turn a blind eye to it and let the guy go because after all he has kids. There are rules in civilized society and if you don’t like the rules in America you don’t just get to ignore them. You can try to change the rules but you have to do it legally.
I think this is a bad bad bad idea….we have a stretch economy already and you want to add more people to that. Its already hard enough for the people who live here to find a job and they need more then one to get by to pay bills. Let the bigger city’s in other states worry about this.
Miro, better watch out for the jack-booted federal thugs that will come out after January 20th.
Theyll toss our asses in jail for defying Fearless Leader and the Savior of the Nation.
(Otherwise we BTVers be proud of you, even if we think 14 floors is more than we need.)
Does this even change anything? I don’t see where it is trying to bring more immigrants to the area. It’s just trying to protect the ones that are here. The only thing this really does, other than maybe encourage a dozen or so more immigrants to move here, is add big DNC dollars to Miro’s already flush campaign coffers.
@Mt. Philo, it does unfortunately have significant impact. Federal funding to Burlington can be cut off for refusal to comply with the law. For example, Burlington Police Department was scheduled to receive federal grant to fund salaries of 5 new police officers. This could be in jeopardy. 5 good jobs gone. Federal funding that supports transportation projects could be in jeopardy (like federal matching component of to-be-built Champlain Parkway). Road maintenance; welfare payments; food stamps; money from HUD for affordable housing; Medicaid; public safety projects all potentially jeopardized.
Illegal Immigration Reform Act of 1996, signed by President Bill Clinton, requires states and municipalities to cooperate with feds on immigration enforcement and sharing information about citizenship status. 8 U.S. Code, Section 1373. This law allows feds to withhold funding from sanctuary cities. It is a felony to shield someone here illegally, with maximum penalty of 5 years jail-time; or up to life if illegal alien you are shielding kills someone. 8 U.S. Code, Section 1324. Mostly used to go after people smugglers but could be used to go after political officials who harbor illegal aliens (politicians try to maintain plausible deniability so they have no knowledge of anyone’s legal status).
Even under Obama, the DOJ Inspector General said sanctuary jurisdictions are wrong and ineligible for federal funds.
The laws exist for a reason – to protect citizens. An illegal alien working on a dairy farm with zero criminal record should not be too concerned. But illegal alien who has further broken the law by stealing social security numbers; dealing heroin; stealing a car; or engaging in violent crime? It was wrong for George Wallace and Southern segregationists to defy federal orders of integration under Brown v. Board of Ed. And wrong for local officials like Weinberger to ignore the law now.
This Weinberger guy is freaking nuts and scary as hell. I was born in Vt, grew up in Vermont, did all my education in Vermont, all in Orleans county. My college was in Burlington. I visit my Vermont home, basically every year. I am a Vermonter. Vermont is my home and where I go to for peace, relaxation and to socialize with the best people in the world. It’s God’s country: unspoiled. Due to marriage, I have been living in Texas. I don’t think of Texas as my home; Vermont is my home and always will be.
Vermonters, the true Vermonters, do not let this crazy fool Weinberger do this “Sanctuary City” thing. It will absolutely destroy Vermont. Illegals cause the high % of the crimes(rape, murder, assaults) in Texas. A Sanctuary City is only a safe haven and protection from the law. Yet, all their everyday survival and “fun” comes from the Vermont taxpayer. Since illegals are protected from the law, they become repeat offenders. I see this everyday; 10 or more times a day. Illegals come for one thing, complete take over. Vermonters, don’t let this happen to Vermont.
Weinberger is whining because he’s pissed Trump got elected President. Don’t let him destroy Vermont. Vermont be Strong!!!!!
Vote NO for a Sanctuary City.
Vermont. S sent to Vermont to have Vermont stay as God wanted and wants it to be.