Jess Aloe

Free Press Staff Writer

Mayor Miro Weinberger wants Burlington to become a sanctuary city for immigrants.

Vermont Public Radio's Alex Keefe tweeted Thursday afternoon that Weinberger "wants to formally make #btv an immigrant 'sanctuary city' after @realDonaldTrump elected."

The Burlington Free Press called the mayor's office to confirm the report, but Communications Director Katie Vane declined to comment, saying the mayor promised VPR an exclusive interview.

There is no legal definition of the term sanctuary city, but it generally refers to municipalities that don't cooperate with federal immigration authorities, or refers to cities that bar employees, including police, from asking people about their immigration status.

House passes bill to punish sanctuary cities

Weinberger told Keefe in the interview that Burlington already employs many of the same practices as a sanctuary city, such as not asking about immigration status, but in the wake of Republican Donald Trump's election as president, the mayor said he will work with the City Council to formalize the city's status.

Trump vowed during his campaign to cancel federal funding to sanctuary cities.

The mayor told Keefe a "modest" amount of federal money could be at risk.

This story was first published online on Nov. 17, 2016, and has been updated. Contributing: Associated Press. Contact Jess Aloe at 802-660-1874 or jaloe@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @jess_aloe.