Blogs

As U.S. Marines patrol the streets of Los Angeles to repress dissent against ICE raids, it is clear that attacks on immigrant communities and their defenders will continue to escalate under this administration. Vermont is not exempt from these intensifying attacks, yet despite the risks, immigrant communities refuse to be silenced.

Migrant Justice is building community power, not only to defend against ICE and Border Patrol arrests, but to push forward new rights and protections. For the last two years, we have led the fight in the legislature for Housing Access for Immigrant Families. The proposal was recently passed by the Vermont House and Senate and is now sitting on the Governor’s desk, poised to become law.

Read more to get the full story!

Max, José, and Arbey – three of the nine workers detained by Border Patrol in Franklin County last month – are now safely back in Vermont, thanks to overwhelming community support! Thousands of people signed petitions and marched in the streets demanding their release from immigration detention.

Arriving back in Vermont on the morning of May 30, after a month in detention and an arduous four-day journey home, José celebrated his release:

“I am free thanks to the support of the entire Migrant Justice community. Together, we’ll keep fighting to free the rest. We must continue forward united as the powerful community that we are.”

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Vermont dairy worker Diblaim Maximo Sargento-Morales has returned to Vermont after weeks in immigration detention. Another member of the farmworker community, Arbey Lopez-Lopez, has been ordered released on bond by an immigration judge after receiving widespread community support.

Sargento-Morales, known to friends as Max, flew to Burlington International Airport over the weekend after his release from Karnes County Immigration Processing Center in Texas. An enthusiastic crowd of supporters gathered to welcome him home, breaking into applause and chants as he arrived at the terminal. Max had been held in detention for nearly a month before returning home to friends and family.

Sargento-Morales was part of a group of eight farmworkers detained by Border Patrol last month in the largest immigration enforcement action on a farm in recent Vermont history. An immigration judge in Chelmsford, MA ordered his release last Thursday, setting bond for Mr. Sargento-Morales at the lowest amount allowed by law.

In a separate hearing on Monday, an immigration judge ordered the release of Arbey Lopez-Lopez, a member of the farmworker community detained in April after he was pulled over by Border Patrol while driving to deliver groceries to a farm. Mr. Lopez-Lopez has been in immigration detention for 42 days, primarily at the New Hampshire federal prison FCI Berlin. He is expected to be released and returned to Vermont later today, where he will be reunited with his 5-year-old daughter.

Read more for the full press release.

Community celebrates ruling while continuing to fight for others’ release

An immigration judge in Chelmsford, MA has ordered the release of one of the detained Vermont farmworkers, Diblaim Maximo Sargento-Morales. The judge set bond for Mr. Sargento-Morales at $1,500, the lowest possible amount. 

Dozens of farmworker community members and allies attending the virtual hearing from the Migrant Justice office in Vermont celebrated the ruling. Mr. Sargento-Morales, known to friends as Max, will likely be released and return to Vermont in the coming days. 

In the related cases of Arbey Lopez-Lopez and Jose Edilberto Molina-Aguilar, a separate immigration judge declined to hear motions for their release on bond. The bond motion for Mr. Lopez-Lopez will be heard on Monday 5/19 in Chelmsford Immigration Court. 

Read more for the full press release.

On International Workers’ Day, farmworkers led a 16-hour picket of Hannaford Supermarket, urging potential customers to withhold their purchases and demand Milk with Dignity. The action was an overwhelming success: the picketed Hannaford store in Williston, VT lost nearly 500 customers throughout the day, a drop in sales of over 25%!

Labor unions, faith communities, community organizations, and student groups all joined farmworkers on the picket line, marching and chanting from the store’s opening at 7am until its close at 11pm. In typical Vermont spring fashion, the day began below freezing, rose to a sunny high in the 70s, and ended in a driving downpour. But the weather did little to dampen the spirits of the picketers.

The action swelled in numbers throughout the day, cresting in the evening as thousands of marchers joined the Hannaford picket. The feeder march brought farmworkers together with others rallying for immigrant rights, workers’ rights, and solidarity with Palestine. The mass march passed by the offices of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where speakers celebrated the release from immigration detention of Palestinian Vermonter Mohsen Mahdawi – detained during his citizenship interview over his activism – and called for the release of the nine members of Vermont’s farmworker community detained in recent weeks.

Read more to get the full story!

Of the nine members of Vermont’s farmworker community detained by Border Patrol in April, three have been deported to Mexico while six others remain in immigration detention. Community supporters and elected officials are continuing to advocate for the release of those held in detention.

On April 21st, armed Border Patrol agents entered a Franklin County farm and detained eight workers in one of the largest worksite detentions in recent Vermont history. Less than two weeks prior, on April 9th, Border Patrol agents pulled over and detained Arbey Lopez as he was driving to the same farm to deliver groceries to the workers.

Take action now! Sign the petitions to Free the Farmworkers and Free Arbey!

Read the full press release

Hundreds of farmworkers and allies rallied in an emergency mobilization demanding the release of eight dairy workers arrested in their home by Border Patrol agents earlier this week. As farmworkers led the march through downtown Burlington, their chants reverberated: “When immigrant rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

While this week’s on-farm arrest is one of the largest in recent history, it is part of a larger pattern of attacks against immigrant farmworkers. Just two weeks ago, federal agents stopped and detained community member Arbey Lopez as he was on his way to the same farm where workers were detained on Monday night. Arbey is now held in detention and at risk of deportation.

Read more to get the full story and sign the petition to free Arbey

On Monday evening, armed Border Patrol agents entered a Vermont dairy farm and detained eight farmworkers. This is the largest single immigration arrest of farmworkers – and one of the largest worksite arrests – in recent Vermont history. The eight workers are now held in detention and at risk of deportation.

Jesús, Juan, Luis, Urillas, Max, Adrian, José, and Dani are all dairy workers living and working in Franklin County. Ranging from 22 to 41 years old, they came to Vermont to work on a dairy farm searching for a better life for themselves and their families. For this, they are now being held behind bars.

Read more and sign the petition to free the farmworkers!

The Milk with Dignity campaign is moving forward! Farmworkers’ next planned action is a full-day picket of Hannaford Supermarkets on May 1st, International Workers’ Day. Dairy workers and allies will picket the Hannaford in Williston, VT from open to close, urging consumers not to shop there in solidarity with workers’ demands for Milk with Dignity.

Join us on the picket line on 5/1 any time from the store’s opening at 7am to its closing at 11pm! At 5pm, community groups will gather at a nearby park (28 Walnut St, Williston) before marching past the offices of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and joining workers at the Hannaford for a large rally at 7pm.

Read more to get all the details on the upcoming action!

Migrant Justice has had a breakthrough week in the long-running campaign to bring Hannaford Supermarket into the Milk with Dignity Program. From the Hannaford headquarters in Maine, to the shareholder meeting of parent company Ahold Delhaize in the Netherlands, farmworkers have made their voices heard.

The escalation of pressure is having an impact. Responding to Migrant Justice’s campaign, the company has announced a comprehensive “Human Rights Impact Assessment” of the conditions in its dairy supply chain, which will include interviews with farmworkers and a review of the Milk with Dignity Program. And after five years encountering consistent refusals to meet, Migrant Justice had its first meeting with a company executive to begin a dialog about Milk with Dignity.

These steps are a recognition of the collective power of workers and consumers demanding justice, but now is not the time to let up the pressure! Assessments and meetings are just the first step; farmworkers aren’t celebrating until Hannaford joins the Program.

Read more to get the full story!