BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Could Vermont face retaliation from the Trump administration for the way the state treats immigrants? In a federal lawsuit against the state of New York, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi warns other states they could be next.
The lawsuit centers around New York’s immigration policies on sanctuary cities and driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants, which President Trump says violate federal law.
In the lawsuit, Bondi warns that other states with similar policies– like Vermont– will also be sued.
Former Vermont Deputy Attorney General Josh Diamond litigated numerous lawsuits during the first Trump administration. He says Vermont prevailed in 60 of the 63 lawsuits in that time.
“There were some successes and some losses but I think we were effective in stemming the most egregious ones with the collective help with our other Democratic AGs,” Diamond said.
But he says the pace and the scope of some of the executive actions are faster in the second Trump administration.
Vermont is currently party to several legal challenges to what some see as overreach by the president, like the elimination of birthright citizenship, and illegal government cuts from Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency.
But Diamond sees the recent executive orders as a stress test on democracy and he is confident Vermont will come out on top on some of the recent lawsuits.
