From the very beginning, people here have stepped forward, putting themselves between their neighbors and whatever power they think is doing real harm. They do it because they figure not acting is even worse. History books tend to celebrate these moments, but the courts sometimes call it a crime. Vermont likes to think it honors that legacy. Then, on March 11, South Burlington put that idea to the test, and what happened next had the whole country tuning in.
On Wednesday, a South Burlington neighborhood turned chaotic for nine hours after a federal immigration raid spiraled out of control. ICE agents kicked off a car chase near two local schools, faced off against hundreds of protesters, and ended up using flash-bang grenades and pepper spray to clear the crowd.
And all of it was based on bad intel.
The person they wanted, Deyvi Daniel Corona-Sanchez, a 24-year-old Mexican national who had been deported before, crossed back into the country, and got picked up for a DUI in Middlebury back in January, wasn’t even inside the house where ICE smashed down the door. They never found him there.
Instead, three people completely unrelated to the warrant are now sitting in Vermont correctional facilities. None of them has been charged with any crime.
The morning after the raid, South Burlington wasn’t quiet for long. People poured out of their homes. Hundreds gathered along Dorset Street, crowding the sidewalks and spilling right into the road.
The story took off quickly, with users talking about it on Reddit. Thousands jumped in, anger spilling into comment sections, backing the protesters and calling them gutsy for sticking around even when the tear gas and flashbangs hit.
Internet Reacts to Vermont’s South Burlington Community Standing Up to ICE
The discussion quickly sparked a wave of frustration online, with many users expressing anger and disbelief over the situation. “Can’t believe we have to protect our neighborhood from our own government.”
Others accused authorities of targeting specific communities for political reasons. “ICE is targeting the parts of the country that are unlikely to vote Republican. They are hoping to create an incident that will justify using the National Guard to restrict access to the polls in November,” a user commented.
Some comments zoomed out to highlight the sense of unity they believe exists in smaller communities. “Vermont is like a big small town. We take care of each other here,” one person wrote.
Others framed the situation as a reflection of deeper fear among those in power. “The reason they do this is they are scared. There are more of us than them,” a comment read. Another concluded, “While they wage war in the Middle East and doing it horribly… they are also waging war in regular American neighborhoods.”
After nine hours in cold rain, singing and forming human corridors to shield each other, Vermont didn’t just head home and stay silent. They returned, raised their voices, and made sure folks all over the country heard just what happened on Dorset Street.
