Senate Judiciary questions governor's authority to enter federal immigration enforcement agreements, discusses protections for schools, churches and witnesses

The Senate Judiciary met to review state authority over federal immigration-enforcement agreements and related protections, hearing legal explanations about how federal programs such as 287(g) interact with Vermont law and debating proposed statutory checks on the governor's power.

Legal counsel told the committee that federal law permits federal immigration authorities to enter agreements with state or local law enforcement "subject to state law," and that Vermont previously authorized such agreements; the transcript records the specific statutory citation discussed as "20 ESA 4,652." Counsel also said, "the governor would have the authority to veto legislation that he or she doesn't agree with," and explained how a governor's special-session call and related statutory timing limits might function in practice.

Committee members pressed on two procedural points: whether the governor can constrain a special session to a single topic and how a 60-day notice provision would affect the executive's ability to act quickly in emergencies. Several senators…