By Curt Peterson, Standard Correspondent
HARTLAND – Hartland could become Vermont’s next “Sanctuary Town,” depending on the outcome of a vote on Town Meeting Day. A local resident circulated a petition to get the item on the March ballot.
Dr. Jeff Bell, a Hartland resident and Veterans’ Hospital physician, decided his town should become a Sanctuary Town, meaning local authorities and officials would be forbidden to inquire about a resident’s or visitor’s immigration status or detain or arrest someone based only on that status, or to report a person’s immigration status to federal immigration authorities. It does not mean the same thing as an “Immigration Refuge,” a town that invites aliens to come and live as a safe haven.
In the U.S. the first Sanctuary Town was Los Angeles in 1979. At least eighteen states have adopted statewide sanctuary laws.
Bell has spent countless hours visiting people, asking for their signatures on a petition to add a Sanctuary Town resolution to the March Town Meeting warrants. He collected over 150 signatures, 25 more than town officials suggested would be appropriate.
Bell’s resolution includes the following wording: “any undocumented immigrant will be safe from deportation and may seek to find employment in this community without being asked for proof of citizenship.
In addition, officials of the Town of Hartland will not report people living in the town to the federal government solely on the question of immigration status.”
“I had a wonderful time talking to people about this,” Bell said. “I was gratified that almost everyone to whom I spoke was excited about voting on it at Town Meeting.”
Only two people gave him negative feedback – one refused to sign outright, although his signature would mean only that he thought it was acceptable to put the idea to a vote, and the other said she was against the Sanctuary designation but was glad it was going to be debated. She signed the petition.
Bell’s was a one-man crusade – although former gubernatorial candidate Matt Dunne and Burlington mayor Miro Weinberger’s office were very helpful with the paperwork and process. Bell will stand alone to explain his resolution at Town Meeting, and other residents will have the opportunity to ask questions, make comments and debate the issue.
President Donald Trump threatened last week to withdraw all federal funding from towns and cities that refused to cooperate fully with federal immigration services’ identification, reporting, detention and deportation of illegal immigrants – in other words, Sanctuary Towns and Sanctuary Cities. This could mean up to 30 percent or more of some towns’ budgets. Since Bell’s original resolution predated the Trump threat, it was not reflected in the wording. He’s asked town Moderator Pat Richardson to amend the resolution to allow reconsideration of its Sanctuary Town status if federal fund withdrawal seems imminent.
Hartland Town Manager Bob Stacey said Bell’s resolution will face a voice vote at Town Meeting.
“Social issues that don’t involve taxpayers’ money usually sail right through,” Stacey said. “I can’t recall one ever being turned down.”
This article first appeared in the February 2, 2017 edition of the Vermont Standard.