GOP Governor Vows To Defy Trump On Immigration, Refugees

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont's Republican governor says the state will not work with federal authorities to carry out border security and immigration enforcement orders as suggested by recent executive orders signed by President Donald Trump.

In a release issued late Monday, Scott also said he would ask the Legislature to pass laws that would prohibit local officials from carrying out such actions.

Scott says he believes the GOP president's executive orders have the potential to erode civil liberties and states' rights. He says they go "beyond the concerns we all have" for preventing terrorism and reducing illegal immigration.

He says Vermont will continue to uphold state and federal laws. But he says the state won't take any action that "violates Constitutional rights or infringes upon the rights of Vermont as a sovereign state."