The town of Hartford has been grappling with its official stance on what it means to be a welcoming city. VPR reporter Peter Hirschfeld joined Vermont Edition to detail some of the events that have recently transpired in the Upper Valley related to protests around the country's immigration policies.
A so-called "Welcoming City Ordinance" represents Hartford’s attempt to protect undocumented immigrants from getting arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection agents. It tries to accomplish that task by restricting certain communication between local police officers and federal immigration authorities.
Adding to the tensions in the town, ICE agents recently detained 18 people without any immigration documentation in Hartford and in Lebanon, New Hampshire. This led to protests in the streets of White River Junction, ending in the arrest of 26 of the protestors.
Listen to the full interview above to hear more on the proposed city ordinances and how residents are responding to the arrests.
Broadcast Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
