Immigration issues were a key part of President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign. His proposals included building a wall along the Mexican-U.S. border and deporting millions of people who are in the country illegally.
“I would expect given what we’re hearing out of Washington that the attorney general has to be willing to defend people’s civil rights and civil liberties. That is going to be a priority for me,” Donovan said in a recent interview.
“How best we do that in the context of federal immigration law, I’m trying to figure that out,” he said.
Donovan is exploring ways of challenging potential changes to federal immigration laws that could threaten the rights of people who live in Vermont. He is currently Chittenden County state’s attorney and handily won the race to succeed William Sorrell as the state’s top prosecutor.
Donovan said he is looking at ways the state could resist deportations of unauthorized immigrants. It remains to be seen what policy might change under the Trump administration, but Donovan said he believes it is important to be prepared. There are estimated to be more than 1,500 unauthorized immigrants living in Vermont. Many work on dairy farms.
“I think how we respond to this if this comes to pass is going to be a defining moment,” Donovan said. “We need to be prepared. We need to do our work. We need to protect Vermonters, and we need to protect everybody in this state’s civil rights.”
He has asked some people to begin exploring avenues available at a state level, and plans to look to other states for ideas as well, he said.
“The attorney generals, I think, are going to be on the front lines of a lot of these fights,” Donovan said.
When he takes office in January, Donovan will be the first new attorney general in 20 years.
He met with Sorrell recently and began digging into the attorney general’s office budget and personnel. He does not anticipate a big turnover in staff.
“There may be some change, but I would expect very little change,” Donovan said. He noted that when he took over as Chittenden County state’s attorney, most of the lawyers in the office stayed on.
He also is familiarizing himself with the major ongoing cases. He said he has had some briefings and will continue his research.
“The transition is really, you know, getting up to speed on the cases and understanding the procedural history, where the cases are at currently, the strengths and weaknesses of all the cases, and making decisions that are consistent with your vision,” Donovan said.
Donovan would not comment on particular cases until he gets fully up to speed. The attorney general’s office under Sorrell is handling several high-profile matters, including the state’s civil case in the alleged misuse of investors’ money for several Northeast Kingdom projects, and the criminal prosecution of Jody Herring, the woman accused of killing three of her relatives and a social worker last year.
Asked about Trump’s campaign pledge to “open” libel laws, Donovan said he is committed to protecting First Amendment rights and media freedom.
“I’m not always crazy about what you guys write, but I respect and honor your right to write what you want to write,” Donovan said.
“Dissent is a hallmark of this country, and we have to be willing to allow people to have a platform to speak out freely, to speak out openly, and to dissent from our leaders,” Donovan said. “That is what democracy is all about.”
