Vermont Attorney General to prosecute Williston ICE facility protesters

The Vermont Attorney General’s office is prosecuting 13 individuals cited during a July 24 sit-in at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) surveillance center in Williston. The protesters face misdemeanor unlawful trespass charges and were scheduled for arraignment on September 24.

This move follows decisions by Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George to decline prosecution in previous protests at the same facility. George previously stated that pursuing such low-level offenses would not serve the interests of the county or would be a waste of limited resources, often characterizing the actions as civil disobedience.

Under Vermont law, the Attorney General holds concurrent jurisdiction, allowing the office to prosecute cases even if a local state’s attorney declines to do so. Consequently, the Vermont State Police have begun referring these specific cases directly to the Attorney General’s office.