Gov. Phil Scott speaks Thursday about a bill to defy President Donald Trump’s immigration order as Attorney General T.J. Donovan and others listen. Credit: Terri Hallenbeck

Following a report that President Donald Trump has considered deploying the National Guard to detain undocumented immigrants, Gov. Phil Scott told reporters Friday that, in Vermont, he would “be resistant to use military force to deport.”

The Associated Press reported earlier Friday that a draft proposal from the administration asked governors in 11 states — not including Vermont — to deploy Guard members for this purpose. The Trump administration declined to comment before the story’s publication, but White House press secretary Sean Spicer later called the AP report “100 percent not true.”

Asked during his weekly press conference how he’d respond if Vermont were added to the list of states, Scott responded with characteristic caution.

“I would seek advice from general counsel as well as the attorney general,” he said.

In response to further questioning from reporters, the Republican governor said he would be “resistant” to the proposal. “Well, I don’t want us to become militant,” he said, adding, “We need, actually, more citizens in Vermont.”

Scott has spoken out against Trump’s executive orders constricting immigration, and he’s pursuing legislation to prevent local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with any federal immigration crackdown.

In his responses Friday, the governor stopped short of definitively stating that he would defy any attempt to deploy the Vermont National Guard for immigration enforcement purposes.

Asked for comment on the AP report, a Vermont National Guard spokesperson, Captain Dyana Allen, provided a statement from the National Guard Bureau.

“The National Guard Bureau is aware of the reports in the media regarding a proposal to activate 100,000 troops to support immigration missions,” the statement said. “However, we have received no official notification to execute any activations at this time.”

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Alicia Freese was a Seven Days staff writer from 2014 through 2018.

8 replies on “Scott ‘Resistant’ to Using Vermont Guard for Immigration Roundup”

  1. Why are you posting this crap? The story was debunked before lunchtime and this was posted at 2:30?? This is the type of “fake news” that people are getting so sick of and is diminishing your standing as journalists. I’m disgusted

  2. I second that Darin. Time for those in the media to start to take responsibility and check the facts before they print fake news.

  3. The story wasn’t “debunked”…. the Trump administration denied the story, but the existence of a memo laying out the option of using the Guard for this purpose was not “debunked”… unless you consider Sean Spicer’s denial a definitive source (you know, the guy who denied that Michael Flynn had talked about sanctions with the Russian ambassador and who insisted that Trump’s inaugural crowds were the largest in history).

    When Sean Spicer dismisses something as “fake news”, that’s a pretty good sign that it is probably real.

    So, yeah, the memo that was laying this out got leaked, and as a result the Trump administration was forced to back off and deny. That doesn’t change the fact that people in DHS were seriously circulating the option of using the National Guard in 11 states to round up undocumented immigrants.

  5. When a story such as this is “debunked,” by someone like Trump, be very careful because that means that they are not “debunking” it. They do not want us to know about it until it is too late. Remember that Hitler and Goebbels also “debunked” stories about what they were doing until they had got completely into power and it was too late.

  6. Scott will be forced to mobilize the Guard if ‘The Russians’ attempt to hack and infiltrate Burlington Electric’s power grid again.

  7. We have a republican Governor who’s a liberal,( hung with Shummy to long), who is against our President, maybe he wanted lying Clinton or Socialist (sell out) Sanders for President..This state is in bad shape.. low employment, our young adults leaving the state, high amount on welfare, refugees comes first instead of Vermonters, liberals in control of the legislation, wants more Vermont citizens, yup more higher taxes..WTH..will we get any one in office who will look out for the “true” Vermonters??? Think Scott is for the refugees!!!!! Screw us..

  8. “This state is in bad shape.. low employment, our young adults leaving the state, high amount on welfare, refugees comes first instead of Vermonters, liberals in control of the legislation, wants more Vermont citizens, yup more higher taxes..”

    Prove it.

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