A Chittenden County Sheriff’s Deputy contacted U.S. Border Patrol agents during a routine traffic stop of two farmworkers last month in an apparent violation of state policing policy that prohibits such collaboration, according to materials released Monday afternoon by the advocacy group Migrant Justice. The July 19 traffic stop resulted in the detention and subsequent deportation of the vehicle’s passenger, 22-year-old Alex Genri Jimenez Jimenez, to Mexico, Migrant Justice said. Jimenez had worked on Vermont dairy farms in Franklin County for about two years. Migrant Justice released a trove of police records and bodycam footage of the incident obtained through records requests. In a press release, the group called it a clear violation of the state Fair and Impartial Policing Policy, which restricts collaboration and information-sharing between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. The traffic stop occurred in Franklin County, when Sgt. Scott Costella pulled over a car on a dirt road after observing it did not have a front license plate. Bodycam footage shows Costella approaching the vehicle at 11:07 a.m. from the passenger-side window and asking the driver for his license, insurance and registration. The driver, Anthony Cruz Morales, 20, handed Costella his ID and a copy of the car’s title. Costella said he still needed the registration, but Cruz Morales appeared confused. Costella said he would be right back and walked to his vehicle, where he grabbed his cellphone. At 11:09 a.m., two minutes after he pulled the car over, Costella texted two Border Patrol agents: “potato hill rd on stop,” followed by a second message: “need one of you,” according to a copy of the messages released by Migrant Justice. “Coming from redgate,” one of the agents responded. Costello returned to the vehicle, where he used Google Translate on his phone to communicate with Cruz Morales, who said he had recently purchased the car and had not yet registered or insured it. Costello then went back to his car to write Cruz Morales several traffic tickets and call a tow truck.  At 11:35 a.m., a Border Patrol vehicle arrived and two agents approached the men as they sat in the car. About 20 minutes later, agents pulled Jimenez from the passenger side of the car. During the arrest, Costella approached the car and held Jimenez’ arm as the federal agents handcuffed him. In an incident report, Costella said he ran up to the vehicle because he observed Jimenez “actively resisting” and he wanted to record it with his bodycam. Costella said he then placed his right hand on Jimenez’ upper bicep so he could catch him in case he fell forward while being cuffed. Vermont’s Fair and Impartial Policing Policy states that vehicle passengers are not required to give officers identification, absent “reasonable suspicion of unlawful activity,” and that “in no instance shall the enforcement of civil immigration law be a reason to request identification or other documents.” It also states that Vermont law enforcement shall not share any information about an individual with federal immigration authorities except in cases where public or officer safety or other law enforcement needs make it necessary. In a narrative of the incident written by Costella, the officer said he “requested a USBP agent for backup as I was out with two individuals, on a back country road and knowing that was vehicle was subsequently getting towed and I still did not know the history or circumstances involving the occupants of the vehicle.” On July 28, Chittenden County Sheriff Dan Gamelin reported the incident to the Vermont Criminal Justice Council, which investigates complaints into officer conduct, according to a copy of the report released by Migrant Justice. In the report, Gamelin noted that Migrant Justice spokesperson Will Lambek contacted his office two days after the traffic stop to raise concerns about the potential role the deputy played in the civil immigration detention.  Gamelin also informed the council that his office is conducting an “internal review” to determine if the deputy’s actions followed the Fair and Impartial Policing Policy. Migrant Justice was instrumental in drafting the policy that exists today, which every law enforcement agency in the state has been required to adopt and comply with since 2018. The announcement comes less than 24 hours before polls open for Vermont’s primary election, in which Gamelin, who is seeking the Democratic nomination, is facing a challenge from the left. Gamelin released a statement Monday evening saying the incident is under investigation by “outside resources” and that Costello has meanwhile been “temporarily reassigned to other duties.” Gamelin said he would not weigh in on the deputy’s conduct until the investigation concludes, but he acknowledged the serious implications for Jimenez. “A man who was living and working in this state has been separated from his partner and his family,” the statement reads. “That is serious, and I am not going to talk around it.” “Vermont law enforcement has no role in enforcing federal immigration law,” Gamelin wrote in the statement. Our Fair and Impartial Policing Policy sets real limits on what we share with federal immigration authorities and when. Those limits exist for a reason, and every deputy in this office is accountable to them, including to me.” Gamelin’s opponent, Kevin Bloom, has called for the abolition of ICE and has participated in protests against immigration authorities, including the March 11 confrontation outside of a South Burlington home.  It’s not the first time one of Gamelin’s deputies have landed in hot water for an immigration-related incident. In 2024, one of Gamelin’s deputy sheriffs, Michael Major, resigned from the department after he was heard making disparaging comments about a migrant worker during a public meeting of the Vermont Criminal Justice Council. And in 2023, Gamelin’s office settled a discrimination claim by another man who was deported to Mexico after a deputy called Border Patrol during a 2019 traffic stop. Luis Ulloa filed a complaint through the Vermont Human Rights Commission. According to Migrant Justice, the sheriff’s office settled the claim for $25,000. Colin Flanders contributed reporting. The post Chittenden County Deputy Investigated for Calling Border Patrol During Traffic Stop appeared first on Seven Days. ...read more read less