We have noted in the past how few illegal aliens seem to live in the home state of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and a sturdy supporter of amnesty.
Has one of those rare illegals just tried to burn down a big old Congregational Church in Vermont's largest city, Burlington? This is a church where the late first lady Grace Coolidge worshiped more than 100 years ago.
There's no question someone tried to burn down the church last week, starting with its historic bell tower.
And that someone is from Belarus according to the Burlington Free Press. But is he an illegal? That's not settled at this writing.
Unlike so many Washington Post and New York Times reporters in similar situations, the Free Press's Sam Hemingway was curious about the legal status of the unemployed 32-year-old, who came to Vermont from Belarus in 2011. According to his account:
...Bychkou's lawyer, asked outside the courtroom about his client's immigration status, said he understood that Bychkou was going through a "legal process."
Asked what he meant by that, Pannu [the lawyer] said "Something else is going on. I'm not sure".
There is some concern about the mental health of the suspect, Aliaksandr Bychkou, who said that voices told him that there was treasure in the church tower. He was caught in the church with long matches, has pled not guilty to arson charges, and is now in jail.
Is Bychkou one of the nine, or fewer, Vermont residents who is applying for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status as we reported in an earlier blog? Probably not, while at 32 he may or may not be too old for the program, depending on the exact date of his birthday (you have to have been under 31 on June 15, 2012), but if his arrival in the US was in 2011, as is reported, that would have been too late (you have to have been here by 2007, and to have arrived prior to your 16th birthday.)
If he is seeking legalization, or seeking to avoid deportation, he must be engaged in some other DHS "legal process," and he is probably one of only a handful of Vermont residents doing so.