Law enforcement agents have assembled outside a South Burlington building in search of a suspect who fled an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation this morning that led to a multi-vehicle accident on a busy road.

Roughly 100 protesters amassed at the Dorset Street scene, as federal law enforcement await a criminal arrest warrant for the suspect, according to South Burlington police.

South Burlington police said they were not made aware of the initial ICE operation, but are now on the scene to both protect federal agents and “take all necessary steps to ensure that the public can protest peacefully.”

By 1 p.m. roughly 14 ICE agents were outside the small, white clapboard building. A growing crowd of protesters linked arms and formed a human chain around the building. People blew whistles, chanted “ICE out,” and in some cases directly confronted the ICE officers telling them to “get off the property.” Police blocked off a stretch of Dorset Street, and Vermont State Police arrived on the scene.

The incident in Vermont’s second largest city started when ICE agents sought to arrest a man related to an immigration administrative warrant.

Around 7:30 a.m., South Burlington police say they received a 911 call about a crash involving multiple vehicles on Dorset Street.

Officers found an unoccupied vehicle with “extensive damage,” in the northbound lane, a second damaged vehicle in the southbound lane, and two damaged vehicles in the parking lot of a nearby apartment complex.

ICE agents attempted to arrest a person “associated” with a Dorset Street building near the scene, police said, when the person drove off. ICE agents attempted to box in the vehicle, resulting in damage to several ICE vehicles, police said.

As the vehicle fled, it collided with another vehicle. The suspect then abandoned their car in the northbound lane and ran away.

Migrant Justice activists said they received a call to their emergency line this morning about a family who was the subject of an ICE enforcement action. The group spread the word and encouraged others to show up at the Dorset Street building. 

Derek Brouwer

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Vermont Public

“At the end of the day, they’re terrorizing a family, terrorizing, you know, neighbors and so you know, we’ll remain here,” Migrant Justice organizer Abel Luna said. Luna added that people were prepared to intervene if agents attempted to enter without a warrant. “I think people are willing to, you know, even do civil disobedience and stuff like that, in support of the family and to ensure that everyone is safe and the family remains together.”

Barbara Prine of Vermont Legal Aid was on scene Wednesday morning. The organization runs a program that helps undocumented parents make legal plans for guardianship of their children with the ultimate goal of reunification. Prine told Vermont Public she’d been told that a child inside the Dorset Street building is in that program.

South Burlington police emphasized that ICE had not notified them of their operation until the crash investigation.

“However, the South Burlington Police Department has the responsibility to ensure the safety of all and will take appropriate action if agents are assaulted,” police said in a press release. “Additionally, the department will take all necessary steps to ensure that the public can protest peacefully, while also maintaining the private property rights of residents.”

The incident occurred on one of the busier roadways in Vermont. University Mall and several other shopping centers and residential complexes are within blocks of the scene, as is South Burlington High School and Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School.

South Burlington School Superintendent Joe Clark wrote to families early this afternoon that “at this time, our schools are safe, and we are continuing to monitor the situation closely.”

This story will be updated.