Dear Gov. Scott,
It is with dismay and trepidation that I write this note in response to your support of the memorandum of agreement with ICE.
If, as you stated in your April 15 response to the arrest of Mohsen Mahdawi, you believe, “What cannot be justified, is how this action was undertaken. Law enforcement officers in this country should not operate in the shadows or hide behind masks,” then please know that the subterfuge you describe defines how ICE works. You cannot say the former and support the latter — they are mutually exclusive.
My family has been in Vermont since Henry Bristol decided to up and join Ethan and Ira Allen in the fight for freedom from tyranny. In all of that time Vermont has remained a fiercely independent state. It saddens me to suggest that the policies of the current administration, and your party line support of those policies, pose the greatest threat to that hard won liberty that Vermonters have ever faced. We deserve better.
You also noted that “power of the executive branch of the federal government is immense, but it is not infinite, and it is not absolute.” Please remember that as you face pressure to fall in line with the president’s demands and Elon Musk’s threats. Vermont has never been a strongly partisan state. We expect our elected officials to vote their conscience and to understand that who and what they represent is more important than furthering their political careers. We will settle for no less.
The majority of Vermonters voted against the current administration and that for which it stands. We deserve someone who will do more than “remain in contact with the congressional delegation as we all seek further clarification of the facts.”
We deserve someone who will lead Vermonters in standing up to injustice. Someone who understands that silence implies agreement. Someone whose first loyalty lies firmly with the people of Vermont, and what is in our best interests. I sincerely hope that you will choose to be that man.
Kimberly Woodbury
Bellows Falls
