SOUTH BURLINGTON — A man who authorities said was wanted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents was taken into custody late Wednesday afternoon after a Vermont State Police tactical team pushed protesters aside, clearing the way for federal agents to enter the house.
The action ended a nearly daylong standoff outside the home on Dorset Street, near the area of University Mall, where the federal agents as well as state and local police and roughly 150 protesters gathered.
The scene turned chaotic around 7 p.m. when state police and ICE agents attempted to drive away. Protesters blocked Dorset Street and refused to move, prompting law enforcement to pepper spray. Multiple explosions of pepper grenades sent plumes of smoke into the air, which led protestors to disperse, some falling to the ground as medics rushed forward to spray them with water. Some protesters were taken away by law enforcement in unmarked vehicles.
The man taken into custody from the house was not immediately identified.
However, court records related to a criminal complaint and search warrant application to enter the home filed Wednesday in federal court included the same Dorset Street address as the incident and identified a person wanted by the ICE agents.
The warrant had been signed Wednesday by federal Magistrate Judge Kevin Doyle.
According to the filings, the man, a citizen of Mexico, was wanted for allegedly reentering the United States after having been previously deported in 2022 following his arrest when found wading across the Rio Grande River near Eagle Pass, Texas, on or about Oct. 27, 2021.
More recently, the filing stated, the man was arrested in January by the Middlebury Police Department and was charged with drunken driving, with the case pending.
The standoff with ICE began around 7:40 a.m. Wednesday when South Burlington Police said they received a 911 call reporting a crash on Dorset Street involving several vehicles.
Police said the ICE officers were trying to take a man into custody on Dorset Street when he fled in a vehicle and ICE vehicles tried to box his vehicle in.
The fleeing driver crashed into those vehicles and then into another motorist. That motorist, according to a South Burlington Police press release, was not injured. The driver sought by ICE then fled on foot, the release added.
South Burlington Police said they were on scene as federal immigration enforcement officials were seeking to apprehend the man.
Adam Silverman, a Vermont State Police spokesperson, could not immediately be reached Wednesday for comment about the troopers’ presence at the scene.
About 150 demonstrators, some wearing gas masks and goggles, gathered at the scene, forming a human chain surrounding the small, white, single-family home.
The demonstrators put up a makeshift tent in front of the house where they were providing masks and food. Some were also singing and chanting, “ICE out,” punctuated by whistles. Demonstrators were also singing modified versions of “We Shall Overcome,” like “We’ll abolish ICE.” “ICE out” placards were placed on the ground nearby.
By 2 p.m., the makeshift tent was overflowing with food and supplies, and a charcoal fire was set up on a small barbecue stand where people warmed their hands and roasted hot dogs.
About a dozen federal agents with their faces covered by black cloth masks were standing in the rear of the property.
Some state lawmakers also went to the scene, including Rep. Leonora Dodge, D-Essex.
“I’m at a loss for words. This is such a travesty,” Dodge said, adding, “We are clawing at each other in the Legislature for resources, and to have so much energy and money spent in having armed men stand around a house just feels like an absolute waste and intimidation.”
Madeline Sharron, an organizer with Migrant Justice, said she was pleased to see “a really strong community response” and was present with other activists to bear witness and make sure everyone’s rights are respected.
Grace Oedel, executive director of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, sang songs along with protesters as they surrounded the small, white, single-family home. “My hope is we protect these families and they don’t get detained or separated,” she said.
As federal agents stood around the back of the house, protesters formed a human chain corridor to usher out some members from the front door to a waiting brown sport utility vehicle in front of the house, with blankets and umbrellas shielding the residents from public view. The car drove off just after 1:30 p.m.
The South Burlington Police Department was not notified of the immigration enforcement activity and only became aware as a result of the crash investigation, according to South Burlington Deputy Police Chief Sean Briscoe.
“We are here to ensure everyone is safe and to protect everyone’s First Amendment rights,” Briscoe said at the scene.
The federal immigration authorities asked the South Burlington Police Department to assist at the scene due to the number of people who came to protest, according to a South Burlington Police news release. The release also stated that the South Burlington Police did not assist federal immigration authorities with their enforcement action.
As of early Wednesday afternoon, Dorset Street traffic southbound was closed by police at Garden Street and the southern entrance to the University Mall.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Vermont, through a spokesperson, said they had no comment Wednesday about the situation. Federal agents at the scene did not respond to questions.
This story was republished with permission from VtDigger, which offers its reporting at no cost to local news organizations through its Community News Sharing Project. To learn more, visit vtdigger.org/community-news-sharing-project.