Nacho and Heidi to be freed!
Posted Thu, 07/10/2025 - 5:51pm
Heidi and Nacho have won their freedom and will soon be released, after nearly a month behind bars. The two Migrant Justice leaders received hearings in immigration court today, resulting in a judge granting them bond and ordering their release.
On June 14th, Nacho and stepdaughter Heidi were delivering food to farmworkers in Franklin County, VT when they were pulled over without cause by officials from the U.S. Border Patrol. Agents smashed their car window and violently detained the two community leaders.
Represented by the Center for Justice Reform at the Vermont Law and Graduate School, and the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project, Nacho and Heidi challenged the constitutionality of their detention in federal court while simultaneously contesting their removal in immigration court. After a federal judge delayed a decision to release them earlier this week, the two filed bond motions in immigration court, leading to today’s rulings.
This result would not have been possible without the hundreds who took action at protests across Vermont denouncing the detentions and the thousands who sent messages to ICE demanding their release. Rossy Alfaro, mother to Heidi, partner to Nacho, and leader in Migrant Justice celebrated the outcome:
“Today, we showed that our unity makes us strong. We won't be defeated. And every day, the Migrant Justice community grows even stronger. Together, we will continue to fight to ensure that injustices like the one my family is suffering from won't happen to others. We won't allow our families to be separated."
Bond has been paid with the support of the Vermont Freedom Fund and the two are expected to be released to family and community supporters shortly.