Five of them now face federal charges following the February protest at the Williston ICE facility.

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Five people now face federal charges following a protest at a Department of Homeland Security facility in February. This comes after Vermont’s attorney general also filed suit last week.

Peter Booth, 58, of Jericho; Lexington Kennedy, 22, of New York; Henry Prensky, 80, of Burlington; Roan Wade, 23, of New York; and Sherri Wormser, 57, of Colchester, were among a dozen people arrested on February 9.

Authorities say they blocked the building’s doors with their bodies and ignored police requests to disperse, posing a safety risk to those inside. Several of them reportedly returned several times over the following months and did the same thing.

They are now charged in federal court with knowingly obstructing access to the federally leased building.

They also face state charges, after Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark stepped in last week to pursue the case. Vermont State Police took the case directly to the AG after Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George declined to pursue similar arrests.

One protester, Roan Wade, told WCAX last week that he was protesting ICE’s enforcement actions and demanding that property managers end their lease with ICE in the White Cap Industrial Park. “We view what we’ve done as a form of harm reduction. What’s happening at this facility is furthering the violence that we’re seeing nationally,” Wade said, adding that they will continue to protest until the facility is closed.

All 12 people charged with misdemeanor unlawful trespassing in Vermont Superior Court last week have pleaded not guilty.

If convicted of the federal charges, the five protesters face up to a month in prison and a $5,000 fine. Their initial court dates are not yet scheduled.