Proposed Vermont Resolution on ICE Surveillance

Offered by representative Mcgill, Logan, Duke, Krasnow, …..

House Resolution - This House Resolution strongly objects to the plan of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to surveil social media from the Vermont office in Williston. While there has long been an intel center run by federal immigration authorities in Williston, this is the first time ICE has expanded its operations to include the surveillance of social media and other web sites.Now, it is at the heart of ICE's expansion into social media and other web surveillance. and

Whereas, In fiscal year 2023, the center investigated referrals of 4.6 million individuals. Staffers rapidly convert those investigations into dossiers to be shared with ICE field offices around the country. The additional capacity from the Williston facility and the facility in Southern California will enable the government to scour Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and other platforms, converting posts and profiles into fresh leads, and

Whereas, according to the CATO institute, 73% of the people detained by I.C.E. have no convictions, and

Whereas the Trump administration has shown a penchant for retribution. As of November 26, 2025, Reuters documented at least 470 targets of retribution under Trump’s leadership – from federal employees and prosecutors to universities and media outlets. The list illuminates the sweeping effort by the president and his administration to punish dissent and reshape the government, and

Whereas, the use of Artificial Intelligence, combined with the ability to monitor vast amounts of social media traffic, will enable the government to target innocent Vermont residents who are exercising their First Amendment rights to resist actions they are fundamentally opposed to.

Resolved by the House of Representatives: That this legislative body strongly objects to U.S. Immigration and Customs enforcement using any Vermont facility for surveillance of Vermonters’ or any U.S. residents’ on-line activities, and be it further

Resolved: That U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shall disclose to the Vermont Attorney General all locations in Vermont being used by its personnel or subcontractors, along with the approximate number of staff at each location and a description of activities that take place at each location, and be it further

Resolved: That the Vermont Attorney General, or any designee of that office, shall have the right to enter and inspect, with 48 hours advance notice, any location in Vermont being used by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or its subcontractors, in order to determine if any illegal surveillance of Vermonters or any U.S. residents is taking place, and be it further

Resolved: That the Vermont Attorney General is directed to vigorously enforce the Vermont State Constitution and all existing Vermont statutes as they relate to the warrant-less surveillance of Vermonters or any U.S. residents from any Vermont location being used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and be it further

Resolved: That the Clerk of the House be directed to send a copy of this resolution to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons, and the Vermont Congressional Delegation,