Vermont Moves to Shield Students From ICE Raids After Federal Agents Circle Schools

Last month, ICE agents raided a South Burlington neighborhood less than a mile from the local high school and elementary school. Families noticed. Some started keeping their kids home.

Now Vermont lawmakers are moving to ensure every school district in the state has the same protections against federal immigration enforcement -- protections that currently exist in exactly one district.

The House Education Committee took up S.227 on Tuesday, a bill that would standardize the "sanctuary school" policy pioneered last year by Winooski School District Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria. The legislation passed the Senate unanimously last month.

When Fear Keeps Kids Out of Class

Sen. Tanya Vyhovsky, one of the bill's lead sponsors, told House lawmakers she introduced the legislation after hearing from families too afraid to send their children to school.

"It became very apparent to me that every student, regardless of what school district they are in, deserves that level of safety and security in their learning environment," Vyhovsky said. "While it is not typical that the state comes from on high and says 'You must implement policies like this,' I felt like we are not in typical times."

She's right about that. ICE's presence in Vermont communities has intensified, and the agency has been using administrative warrants -- signed by Homeland Security officials, not judges -- to enter homes and businesses across the country.

How the Policy Would Work

Under S.227, only a school superintendent or their designee could authorize federal agents to enter school premises. And those agents would need a judicial warrant -- not the administrative kind ICE has been wielding.

That distinction matters. Rik Sehgal from the Office of Legislative Counsel explained to lawmakers that school officials could legally decline requests from immigration officers carrying only administrative warrants.

The bill would also prohibit schools from collecting or requesting citizenship or immigration status information from students or their families in the first place. If schools don't have the information, they can't be compelled to hand it over.

Emily Simmons, general counsel for the Vermont Agency of Education, confirmed that schools currently have no obligation to collect immigration status data. The Agency of Education supports the bill and says it aligns with existing state policy.

One District Led the Way

Winooski became Vermont's first sanctuary school district last year under Chavarria's leadership. The policy restricted immigration agents' access to school grounds and prohibited staff from collaborating with immigration authorities.

When Chavarria testified before senators in February, he framed the policy as preparation for worst-case scenarios.

"And our schools in Vermont are unprepared," he said. "Even with a large number of well-meaning educators, without intentional protocols and widespread training, a single mistake by an untrained staff member can become a life-changing tragedy for a child."

Now lawmakers want to extend those protections to all 119 school districts and 52 governing units across Vermont.

Why This Matters Now

The timing is no accident. ICE's raid in South Burlington happened in plain view of school communities. Families saw federal agents operating near where their children learn and play. The message was clear, and so was the fear.

This bill would create a uniform standard across Vermont: schools are for learning, not immigration enforcement. Federal agents who want access to school grounds will need to meet the same legal standard required to search anyone's home -- a warrant signed by a judge, not a bureaucrat.

The legislation doesn't prevent ICE from doing its job. It just requires the agency to follow proper legal procedures before entering spaces where children are supposed to feel safe.

For families already living under the threat of deportation, that distinction could mean the difference between sending their kids to school and keeping them home.