3 detained Vermont workers safe at home!
Posted Fri, 05/30/2025 - 2:28pm
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.”
As we celebrate this tremendous victory for Vermont’s immigrant community, we know that these outcomes are far too rare. Of the nine farmworker community members detained last month, four were deported without due process by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Juan, Luis, Urillas, and Dani were all sent to Mexico without being afforded immigration court hearings or the ability to request asylum. Two – Jesús and Adrian – were denied bond at hearings last week in a Texas immigration court. Despite all evidence to the contrary, the judge ruled that they were a flight risk, holding them in detention. We continue to fight for the release of Jesús and Adrian, though we know it is an uphill battle.
Meanwhile, attacks against immigrants – in Vermont and around the country – continue to escalate. In the past several weeks, ICE and Border Patrol have made multiple arrests of immigrants in Vermont: four landscaping workers from Peru driving home at the end of the workday, two dairy workers from Mexico on their way to work in Swanton, two construction workers from Guatemala leaving their home in Colchester; and many more. On the afternoon of May 29, 10 workers were detained across two construction sites in Newport.
Migrant Justice is on the frontlines of resisting and responding to these unjust detentions. Though not every case will make headlines, we are supporting families with detained loved ones, connecting detainees to legal support, and fighting for people’s release from detention and a stop to their deportation. Our Know-Your-Rights trainings and statewide rapid response network reduces the risk of detention for targeted communities. And Migrant Justice’s successful organizing for policy change – whether it's to prevent police from collaborating with deportation agencies, or prohibiting ICE arrests at Vermont courthouses – puts brakes on the machinery of mass deportation.
Together, we have won freedom for Max, Arbey, and José; we will continue to fight against all detentions and deportations!