Gov. Phil Scott has denied a request from the Trump administration to authorize Vermont National Guard troops to aid Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, throwing a wrench in the president’s immigration crackdown.
“The Governor does not support activation for the mission as it’s currently articulated and has concerns about insufficient detail and planning,” Amanda Wheeler, a spokesperson for the governor, wrote in an email Wednesday.
Last week, the Department of Defense announced that National Guard members would replace Marine Corps and Navy reservists who have been assisting ICE. The announcement said Guard members could take over these duties under Title 32 status, which puts them under the authority of state governors.
Following the announcement, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asked Vermont and some other states to authorize their Guard troops to assist in tasks such as transporting detainees and processing them at ICE detention facilities.
After some discussion, Scott declined.
“He agrees that addressing those who are violent criminals here illegally is important,” Wheeler wrote. “And, as an example, believes there may be an opportunity to reassign other federal personnel including recently laid off federal administrative employees or the limited services personnel the federal government no longer anticipates funding. But again, the details matter.”
The governor’s office declined to elaborate further on his decision.
Though Vermont’s National Guard troops have been sent to the southern border in the past, this kind of work would be unusual, said Joseph Brooks, a spokesperson for the Guard.
“To the best of my knowledge, the Vermont National Guard hasn’t worked in detention facilities,” Brooks said. “But it is at the purview of the governor to activate the Vermont National Guard if there was a civil unrest incident.”