WILLISTON, Vt. — Seven faith leaders were arrested for trespass inside a building that houses a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office after they refused to leave when the owner asked, according to the Vermont State Police (VSP). The protest occurred Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, in Williston.
What police say happened
VSP reported that the building includes other public offices and private businesses. “State police, working in conjunction with the Williston Police Department, responded and spoke with protest leaders,” the agency stated. “That discussion led to several people leaving the inside of the building, while the others indicated they’d need to be arrested.”
VSP said those individuals were taken to the Williston Barracks, processed, and released with citations to appear for arraignment at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 20, 2026, in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in Burlington.
Who was cited
According to VSP, the seven arrested were: Jessica Derise, 54, of Williston; Rebecca Girrell, 47, of South Burlington; Elizabeth Gleich, 36, of Middlebury; Karen Johnston, 58, of Colchester; Earl Kooperkamp, 69, of Bradford; Susan McMillan, 65, of Colchester; and Catherine Bock, 78, of Burlington.
The source article identified Derise and Gleich as Congregationalist pastors; Girrell as a United Methodist elder; Johnston as a Unitarian Universalist minister; McMillan and Kooperkamp as clergy with the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont; and Bock as a Quaker activist.
Why they protested
In a statement supported by the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont, McMillan argued that federal immigration policy violates Christian ethics: “Our national leaders, claiming to be Christian, authorize heinous and immoral policies, and the implementation of those policies starts right here,” she said. “If Jesus were here in the US today, he could easily be caught in this trap and deported. This is not Christianity and I have to fight this cruelty in every way I can.”
Broader backdrop, per source reporting
The source article characterized ICE and Border Patrol enforcement as having increased since President Donald Trump began his second term. Supporters cited by the source contend tougher action is needed for border security and the removal of violent offenders, while critics— including many mainline clergy, per the source—argue tactics are overly aggressive and harm otherwise law-abiding immigrants.
In January, a Fox News poll found that 59% of respondents believed ICE tactics were “too aggressive,” up 10 percentage points from a similar survey in July of the prior year, according to the source.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that ICE arrested nearly 51,000 people in the country illegally in August, the highest monthly total to date, per the source. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in the announcement: “The hard-working men and women of DHS continue to break records as they defend the homeland and protect the American people. This is promises made and promises kept in action. Under President Trump’s leadership, ICE is working around the clock every day to arrest and deport illegal aliens from American communities. If you are in the country illegally, LEAVE NOW. If not, we will find you, arrest you, and deport you.”
Separately, the source reported that a group of Hispanic Pentecostal leaders urged the administration to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for El Salvador after its expiration, saying the removal affects 170,000 Salvadorans in the U.S. and noting an estimated 150,000 U.S.-citizen children of those families. “We all speak the language of mercy. That’s what precisely unites us,” Bishop Ángel Marcial of the Church of God said through a translator, per the source.
What’s next
All seven individuals were released with citations and are scheduled to appear Oct. 20, 2026, in Burlington, VSP said. The status of the cases beyond those citations was not provided in the source.
