President Donald Trump’s executive order expanding categories of unauthorized immigrants who can be targeted for deportation “threatens the stability of our state’s agricultural economy,” they wrote in a March 21 letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Sen. Patrick Leahy and Rep. Peter Welch, both Democrats, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent, all signed the letter, along with Republican Gov. Phil Scott and Democratic Attorney General TJ Donovan. Vermont Farm Bureau President Joe Tisbert also signed on.
Immigrant farmworkers fill an important labor role in Vermont’s agricultural economy, especially on dairy farms, they argue. The potential loss of these workers adds further uncertainty to farmers in an industry already squeezed by low milk prices.
“And now, these struggling farmers must worry about staying afloat with the prospect of losing their workforce without warning,” they wrote.
Trump’s executive order has “caused widespread fear and anxiety” among immigrant farmworkers in the state, the letter says, and has led to doubts among members of the community when it comes to cooperating with local law enforcement on public safety issues.
The officials requested a meeting with Christopher Cronen, director of the Boston field office of ICE, and Jeffrey Curtis, supervisory detention and deportation officer, based in St. Albans.
Rebecca Kelley, communications director for Scott, said the governor has been working with the congressional delegation to learn more about how Trump’s executive orders will affect immigration enforcement and border security. Kelley said this is the latest step in an effort that has been ongoing since the orders were signed earlier this year.
Scott “feels it is critical to have clarity on any policy changes, as uncertainty is disruptive to economic and public safety efforts. This includes a potential impact on tourism, our dairy industry, and the willingness of documented and undocumented immigrants to cooperate with — and provide information to — law enforcement,” Kelley said.
She said ICE responded to the letter and agreed to a meeting, which is being coordinated.
State officials wrote the letter a week after three members of the activist group Migrant Justice were arrested by federal immigration authorities.
Two days later, Enrique Balcazar and Zully Palacios, both Migrant Justice activists, were arrested by ICE after a vehicle stop on Shelburne Road in Burlington. According to a spokesperson for the group, neither Balcazar nor Palacios faced criminal charges.
All three continue to be held at a detention center in New Hampshire. Their deportation cases came up in court Monday in Boston.
At the hearing, the judge denied bond for Carrillo-Sanchez, according to Will Lambek of Migrant Justice. Lambek, who was not in the courtroom at the time, said he understood the judge’s decision reflected the DUI charge Carrillo-Sanchez faced.
“We are in sharp disagreement with that decision,” Lambek said, noting that the criminal charge was dismissed in Vermont court.
The judge set bond at $2,500 each for Balcazar and Palacios, Lambek said. He expected that they would be released on bond Tuesday.
Lambek said demonstrations by protesters outside the court in Boston were “very powerful.” After Monday’s hearing, he said, the “struggle continues.”
“Our demands are the same: that they be free and allowed to remain with their community,” he said.
Hundreds rallied outside the court earlier in the day calling for their release — the latest in a series of demonstrations across the state protesting the arrests. The detentions have garnered coverage in national and international media outlets, and have elicited messages of solidarity from a wide range of groups.
The National Education Association denounced the arrests in a statement Monday and said the nationwide union would honor Migrant Justice with a civil rights award.
It is the first time the NEA has revealed a recipient of the award before the annual awards dinner in June, according to the announcement.
“America welcomes strivers and dreamers and their diverse talents. When we embrace the contributions of immigrants, the future is brighter for our country,” NEA President Lily Eskelsen García said in a statement.
García said the organization condemns the targeting of activists. Others, including Lambek, have also claimed the arrests were retaliation for political activism.
ICE has rejected accusations that Balcazar, Palacios and Carrillo-Sanchez were arrested because of their work with Migrant Justice.
In a statement over the weekend, Shawn Neudauer, ICE spokesperson for New England, said the arrests were “lawful” and “conducted completely within ICE’s legal authority under federal law.”
“ICE officers conduct targeted arrests of criminal aliens and other immigration violators. ICE does not target individuals based on political beliefs or activism,” Neudauer said.
