The Vermont Attorney General’s Office is bringing charges against protesters arrested during a July demonstration in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Williston. The decision marks the first time since protests began ramping up at ICE’s Williston surveillance center la st fall that demonstrators will face prosecution. Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George has declined to charge protesters arrested there on two previous occasions, saying pursuing the low-level offenses would be a waste of her limited resources. Vermont State Police have started referring the cases instead to the AG’s office, which also has authority to prosecute. A spokesperson for Attorney General Charity Clark confirmed on Tuesday that all 13 people cited during the July 24 sit-in will be prosecuted. They were scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, September 24, on misdemeanor charges of unlawful trespass. The spokesperson declined further comment, citing a policy against discussing pending cases. Reached on Tuesday, George said she could not comment on the AG’s decision until after the protesters get arraigned. The July 24 protest targeted a building in Williston’s White Cap Business Park that houses the National Criminal Analysis Targeting Center, where ICE analysts collect and disseminate information to help field agents target undocumented immigrants. Protesters have targeted the building repeatedly since news broke last fall that ICE planned to expand the surveillance operation. In July, demonstrators walked into the lobby around 8 a.m. and refused to leave. Some were later carried out by police, while others walked out alongside law enforcement. The 13 arrestees ranged in age from 18 to 74 and included several people who had previously been cited for trespassing there. In declining to prosecute four people arrested there in May, George wrote that the conduct represented the “very definition” of civil disobedience. “Our office will not expend its limited resources in pursuing a criminal prosecution for no purpose other than obtaining a hollow conviction,” she wrote. She added that she had been told by Vermont Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison that these cases would be referred to the AG’s office instead. “We invite her to do so if she disagrees with our decision,” George wrote. More charges could be coming: Earlier this month, authorities arrested seven clergy members during a sit-in at the same ICE facility. That group, which is now referring to itself as the Clergy 7, has vowed to continue demonstrating despite the threat of prosecution. The post AG’s Office Brings Charges Against Williston ICE Facility Protesters appeared first on Seven Days. ...read more read less