Vermont Community Members Join Elders to Escalate with Large Sit-In at Williston ICE Data Office – 13 Protesters were Arrested

WILLISTON – Monday, Feb 9. At approximately 1:15pm, a group of 25 Vermont community members, mostly elders, entered White Cap office park, home of ICE’s National Criminal Analysis and Targeting Center. They were accompanied by a small group consisting of legal observers, police liaisons, and media observers. The protesters are demanding that the landlord renegotiate and cancel the facility’s lease. They proceeded to sit and march in front of the ICE offices, singing protest songs and reading short details of some of the several people killed by ICE in recent weeks. Outside the building, another group of a dozen or so protesters held up large “ABOLISH ICE” banners and other signs. 

Around 2:10 the property manager informed the protesters they would all be given trespass citations and called the police. The Williston police chief came by, smiled and waved, said he was glad we had a sunny day, and then left. State Police arrived around 2:45pm. They set up an area for on-site processing of arrests. Some protesters vacated the building at 3:45pm, while 13 refused to leave. State Police began to issue citations to the remaining protesters at 4:15pm, and then started to load them into waiting vans for transfer to the Williston barracks.

This action marked an escalation in an ongoing campaign to end Williston’s role as the national ICE surveillance nerve center. Throughout the fall and winter, community members have engaged in noise demos, art installations, and protests at Williston’s many DHS buildings. On Jan 22, a smaller group of elders performed a sit-in at White Cap Business Park in protest of the site’s role in identifying targets for ICE violence. When asked by White Cap property management to arrest the group, Williston Police refused, citing their first amendment right to protest at federal offices. 

One of the protesters, Laura Simon, said, “I am here exercising my First Amendment Rights to expose the atrocities ICE has committed in this state and in communities throughout the country; ripping apart families and causing chaos in communities as they abduct neighbors. Our communities become more dysfunctional without the labor immigrants provide. It is my responsibility to expose that an office in this building is surveilling US citizens and others with the intention of storing people in inhumane detention centers. I say no.”

Peter Booth added, “People in Vermont are shocked when they hear that Williston, Vermont is essentially the starting point for all the people being picked by ICE. This building contains the National (ICE) Tip Line and main data center. It all starts right here, and we can't pretend that it doesn't, or that Vermont isn't somehow culpable allowing this to happen. We're not going away and this is going to continue unless and until the property owner steps up and prioritizes what is right over what is easy and profitable."

Those participating in Thursday’s sit-in were not representatives of any official group or organization, but simply community members concerned about the safety of their fellow Vermonters. Several participants expressed support for pending legislation that would ensure that all ICE detainees in Vermont had access to legal counsel, while others referenced initiatives to limit ICE surveillance and transition Williston DHS offices into affordable housing. All present voiced support for the shutdown of the National Criminal Analysis and Targeting Center, and expressed hope that their action would help others to find the courage necessary to get ICE out of Williston.