Freed human rights leaders to be welcomed back to Vermont
### Press Advisory and Photo Opportunity ###
Press Contact:
Will Lambek, will@migrantjustice.net, 802-321-8393
Darren Allen, NEA, dallen@vtnea.org, 802-839-8618
Freed human rights leaders to be welcomed back to Vermont; Nation’s largest labor union presents civil rights award to Migrant Justice
What: Event to welcome home newly-released human rights leaders Enrique Balcazar and Zully Palacios to Vermont and presentation of “César Chávez Award” to Migrant Justice from the National Education Association
Where: Migrant Justice office, 294 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington, VT (enter through the rear door from the parking lot)
When: Tuesday March 28th. 5:30pm press conference with speeches from Enrique, Zully, and Lymarie Deida, wife of Alex Carrillo; 6:00pm vigil for Alex Carrillo and all immigrants in detention
Who: Migrant Justice is a Vermont-based organization founded and led by immigrant farmworkers to organize for human rights. Migrant Justice leads the Milk with Dignity campaign, a program to improve conditions in the dairy industry.
Background: On March 17th, Enrique Balcazar and Zully Palacios were detained by agents of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shortly after leaving the Migrant Justice office. Two days before, agents detained Alex Carrillo outside a Burlington courthouse in front of his U.S. citizen wife. The cases have received extensive coverage, nationally and internationally, drawing widespread concern over ICE’s targeting of human rights leaders.
Yesterday, while hundreds rallied outside the Boston Immigration Court in the freezing rain, Immigration Judge Paul Gagnon ordered Enrique and Zully released on $2,500 bail each. The judge ordered Alex to be held without bail due to allegations made in a police report on a DUI arrest, despite the fact that the charge had been dismissed by Chittenden County prosecutors. During the hearing, Matt Cameron, the attorney for the three detained leaders, presented evidence of more than 10,000 petition signatures and nearly 200 letters of support, including letters from Senator Bernie Sanders and multiple state elected officials and religious leaders.
Today’s event will feature speeches from Enrique, Zully, Lymarie Deida (wife of Alex Carrillo) and others. Representatives from the National Education Association, the nation’s largest union, will present the “César Chávez Acción y Compromiso Human and Civil Rights Award” to Migrant Justice. Leaders from Migrant Justice will announce the kick-off of a speaking tour calling on Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream to make good on its 2015 commitment to join the Milk with Dignity program.
The event will also be livestreamed on Migrant Justice’s facebook page.