After Trump Says America Is ‘Full,’ Vermont Says ‘Not Us’

Forty years ago, Curtiss Reed Jr. came to Vermont for a ski vacation and got stuck in a storm. He had to sleep in a Dunkin Donuts for two nights before he could make it to a friend’s house. That gave him plenty of time to take in Vermont’s natural beauty.

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But since then, Reed has seen downtown stores close in towns across the state. Taxes have gone up. Wages for many have stagnated. Reed said that’s because Vermont has only tried to attract one kind of new resident.

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“Vermont’s marketing strategy for decades was white, heterosexual male, family income $120,000 dollars or more,” he said. “That population is shrinking.”

Despite President Donald Trump saying “our country is full” earlier this month during a visit to the US southern border, Reed says if Vermont wants to improve its economy, it needs to bring in more people. But the state has two problems: It doesn’t have enough people to do the jobs it already has, and it doesn’t know how to attract people of a different demographic from Vermont’s current population, which is nearly 95% white.

Under the Trump administration’s policies, there are fewer refugees, immigrants and temporary visa workers coming into the state. Joan Goldstein, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Economic Development, said the race is on; states are competing to attract new residents.

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She said Vermont has made a big change in approach: Instead of trying to attract businesses to the state they’re appealing directly to individuals.

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This year Vermont began handing out $10,000 dollars for certain remote workers who move to the state.

“There was significant interest from outside the US on the initial publicity hit we had,” she said. “I would say close to 25% of people coming in with inquiries were from other countries.”

But so far none of the 26 people approved for the grant have been refugees or people who moved from another country. {snip}

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This month the Vermont legislature passed a bill that would make it easier for many immigrants to transfer their qualifications so they can get certified for jobs in the state. The governor is expected to sign it. The state is also making other moves, like hiring a chief racial equity and diversity officer.

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But Marita Canedo, with the group Migrant Justice in Burlington, said Vermont still has a long way to go to appear welcoming to immigrants and people of color.

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Many people who work in Vermont’s dairy industry are undocumented. Cruz Alberto Sánchez-Pérez came to Vermont from Mexico in 2015 to join two of his brothers working on dairy farms. He said they were paid less than minimum wage and didn’t get a day off until they organized to demand better wages and benefits.

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Vermont has also had some notable race incidents.

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In 2017, the city of Rutland’s incumbent mayor campaigned on bringing in Syrian refugees to reinvigorate the local economy. The pushback he faced drew national attention and he lost in what was seen at the time as a referendum on refugee resettlement. Last year, Kiah Morris, Vermont’s only female African American state senator, resigned because her family was being harassed. In Stowe, racial slurs were yelled at counselors and kids of color at a camp.

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To dispel that image of Vermont, Reed said the state and local governments have to actively campaign against it by appealing specifically to immigrants and communities of color — because not all of them get information the same way as white people. Vermont could advertise through social media like Black Twitter. It could advertise in Spanish.

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