As president-elect Donald Trump vows to clamp down on undocumented immigrants, Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger wants to take steps in the opposite direction.
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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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.
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…
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…
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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
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.
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 .