Five Republican VT Senators voted against due process and freedom of speech. We will not forget

By  , on May 03, 2025
MONTPELIER — Earlier this week, the Vermont Senate passed Senate Resolution 13 — a clear, moral stand against injustice.

S.R.13 condemned the unconstitutional arrest of Mohsen Mahdawi — a legal resident of the United States and longtime member of the Upper Valley community — and called for his immediate release and basic due process under the law.

Five Republican Senators voted against this resolution: Steven Heffernan (R-Addison), Russ Ingalls (R-Essex), Robert Norris (R-Franklin), David Weeks (R-Rutland), and Terry Williams (R-Rutland).

Let us be clear about what that vote meant. They voted against:

  • Protecting Vermonters from federal overreach.
  • Defending due process.
  • Condemning ICE for detaining a legal resident without explanation.
  • Upholding the basic rights guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.
This was not a political question. It was a moral one.

And five senators chose cruelty over courage.

Mohsen Mahdawi is not a headline. He is our neighbor. He is a part of our community. He showed up for what he believed was his final citizenship interview — and instead was taken by armed individuals in plainclothes with faces covered. Despite following every requirement of the U.S. citizenship process, Mr. Mahdawi was detained without warning, without explanation, and without his family or legal counsel being informed of his whereabouts.

Senators Sanders and Welch and Representative Balint called it what it was:

"Immoral. Inhumane. Illegal."

And still, five Vermont senators refused to condemn it.

This fight is not over. We will stand up — for Mr. Mahdawi, for due process, and for every Vermonter who believes in dignity and fairness.

We will remember who stood with us. And we won't forget who didn't.

We will hold those who voted against due process and freedom of speech accountable — in the light, and at the ballot box.

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CONTACT

May Hanlon
Executive Director
Vermont Democratic Party

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