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Vermont Edition
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Vermont Edition

Vermonters respond to major clash between ICE and protesters

By Mikaela Lefrak,
Jon Ehrens, Andrea Laurion, Daniela Fierro
Published March 12, 2026 at 4:17 PM EDT
Officers from Vermont State Police, ICE, and the U.S. Department of Homeland security clash with protesters in face masks outside a home.
Zoe McDonald
/
Vermont Public
Protesters clashed with federal agents and Vermont State Police outside a South Burlington home on Wednesday, March 11. Protesters blocked law enforcement vehicles on Dorset Street after an arrest was made inside the home.

ICE enforcement activity outside a South Burlington home yesterday resulted in clashes between law enforcement and community members and the arrest of three people. The man who was initially sought by federal agents was not among those arrested.

Vermont Public report Derek Brouwer provided a first-hand account of the scene and shared what he heard from protestors and law enforcement, including South Burlington's police chief.

Andrew Chalnick, vice chair of South Burlington's City Council, and Democratic state Rep. Emilie Krasnow shared their experiences on the scene, as well as their concerns for community safety.

Hillary Rich, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU of Vermont, answered questions about the rights of protesters and the legal differences between free speech and obstruction.

Broadcast live on Thursday, March 12, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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Vermont Edition Vermont EditionLaw EnforcementPoliceSouth Burlington
Mikaela Lefrak
Mikaela Lefrak is the host and senior producer of Vermont Edition. Her stories have aired nationally on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Marketplace, The World and Here and Now. A seasoned local reporter, Mikaela has won two regional Edward R. Murrow awards and a Public Media Journalists Association award for her work.
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Jon Ehrens
Jon has spent his entire adult life working in broadcast journalism. He began his career in Baltimore at WYPR, and has since been a producer for WHYY, Vox, The Majority Report with Sam Seder, and The Talkhouse. Jon is a lifelong recording artist whose projects include Repelican, The Art Department, and Dungeonesse. He lives with his wife in Panton, Vermont.
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Andrea Laurion
Andrea Laurion joined Vermont Public as a news producer for Vermont Edition in December 2022. She is a native of Pittsburgh, Pa., and a graduate of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine. Before getting into audio, Andrea worked as an obituary writer, a lunch lady, a wedding photographer assistant, a children’s birthday party hostess, a haunted house actor, and an admin assistant many times over.
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Daniela Fierro
Daniela Fierro is a news producer for Vermont Edition. Email Daniela.
See stories by Daniela Fierro