(Host) Three human rights activists were arrested yesterday while protesting the pending deportation of two Vermont migrant farmworkers.
Representatives of the Vermont Workers Center say the two workers were passengers in a car that was stopped for speeding on Tuesday
Eve Warnke of the Worker’s Center says the state trooper who pulled the car over had no cause to ask the men for their identification.
(Warnke) "State Trooper Hatch asked for their I.D. and proceeded to call Border Patrol, which is in violation of the Vermont State Police’s own bias-free policing policy."
(Host) Three people tried to block a U.S. Border Patrol vehicle as it left the Middlesex Barracks and were arrested.
Governor Peter Shumlin ordered an internal probe of the incident, saying he wanted to know if bias-free policies were followed. Spokeswoman Sue Allen said he asked his legal counsel to review State Police policies on undocumented workers.
In a statement, Vermont State Police Colonel Tom L’Esperance says the state police take seriously the necessity of ensuring fair and humane treatment of all people living and working in Vermont.