Chaos in Vermont, as ICE operation sparks violent protest

An operation by federal immigration agents in South Burlington, Vermont, erupted in violence Wednesday when protesters refused to disperse and threw beer bottles, water bottles and rocks and spit on law enforcement officials.

It started when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents attempted to arrest a wanted person at a home on Dorset Street in South Burlington on Wednesday morning, according to WPTZ. The man, identified in court documents as Daviy Daniel Corona-Sanchez, was not located inside the home and remains at large.

Court documents obtained by WPTZ show that ICE officers were conducting “surveillance” Wednesday morning on Dorset Street when they observed Corona-Sanchez getting into a blue Toyota Camry. Multiple ICE deportation officers activated lights and sirens in an attempt to stop the vehicle.

According to reports from local and federal law enforcement, the vehicle did not stop but crashed multiple times while trying to escape. The vehicle allegedly pulled into a parking lot and two men, including Corona-Sanchez, ran into a building on Dorset Street.

After obtaining a federal search warrant, ICE officers entered the building on Wednesday afternoon, but Corona-Sanchez was not found inside. A man and a woman who were inside the home were taken into custody and are now being held at local correctional facilities.

As the situation unfolded, members of the public gathered in the area to protest the ICE operation. ICE agents attempting to leave the scene were blocked by the protesters.

State and local police responded to help handle the developing situation. They said they were not involved in executing the federal warrant or entering the residence, and they were not informed of the federal action in advance. Their role was limited to maintaining public safety, protecting the right to peaceful protest and ensuring officer safety.

State police said some of the protesters pushed and spit on troopers, flung debris including beer bottles, water bottles, umbrellas and rocks and rocked cruisers.

They said he use of force by state troopers was limited to “pushing and moving members of the public out of the way as needed, and one deployment of an irritant spray when someone in the crowd smashed a window and tried to get into a VSP van leaving the scene at the end of the operation.”

State police said one trooper suffered an eye injury from the shattered glass and was treated at the hospital and later released.

Three protesters were detained for disorderly conduct but released later in the day, police said.

Federal agents eventually deployed tear gas and loud bangs could be heard around 7 p.m. as they tried to leave the scene, WPTZ reported. Several protesters could be seen running away and screaming as loud bangs and smoke filled the street. The crowd had completely dispersed by about 7:30 p.m.

Republican Gov. Phil Scott issued a statement calling Wednesday’s operation “totally unnecessary.”

“The actions of federal law enforcement, from outside the state yesterday, further demonstrate a lack of training, coordination, leadership, and outdated tactics which put both peaceful protesters and Vermont law enforcement in a difficult situation,” Scott added. “I want to be clear, how the events concluded, and the tactics deployed by federal officials, as well as actions of those there to agitate, further escalated a situation that was avoidable from the start. It’s examples like this that further divide communities and law enforcement and result in more harm being done than good.”

WPTZ said they have reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment on the incident, but have not heard back.