What happened when a tiny school district refused to ‘bend the knee’ to Trump and ICE
Summary
Winooski School District in Vermont has taken a strong stand to protect immigrant students from immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump’s administration. The district passed a sanctuary policy to shield students from ICE actions and refused to comply with federal restrictions on diversity and inclusion programs in schools.Key Facts
- Winooski School District has about 800 students, nearly 60% of whom are people of color and over a third are learning English.
- The district passed a sanctuary policy to protect students from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions while at school.
- Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria refused to sign a federal document agreeing to ban diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in schools.
- The Trump administration has investigated schools for DEI programs and removed protections that prevented ICE arrests on school grounds.
- Chavarria, born in Nicaragua and a naturalized U.S. citizen, was detained by immigration officials in 2023.
- The district has received racist messages after a student raised the Somali flag outside the school.
- Winooski is in a largely white state but is a diverse community with many refugee families from countries like Bhutan, Somalia, Bosnia, and Syria.
- The Trump administration lowered the refugee admission cap from 125,000 in 2025 to 7,500 in 2026, affecting local refugee resettlement.
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