ST. ALBANS — Protesters showed up en masse Monday morning, their cars crammed bumper to bumper on both sides of Gricebook Road and overflowing onto Fairfax Road, lining the way to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office.
Demonstrators showed up to keep a watchful eye on two immigration check-in meetings: one for Wuendy Bernardo, a dairy farmer who cares for seven children, and one for Steven Tendo, a nursing assistant and pastor. About 200 turned out in front of the building, according to Will Lambek, an organizer for Migrant Justice.
While Bernardo and Tendo sat down for mandatory meetings with ICE inside the brick building, those rallied outside shouted “Wuendy, no estas sola. Steven, you are not alone,” in hopes that they wouldn’t be detained during routine immigration meetings.
Activists have seen people detained or swiftly deported under the guise of mandatory check-in meetings at ICE offices.
Amid chants from the crowd, Bernardo and Tendo walked through the building’s glass doors and stepped into the sunlight.
Two men in the crowd, one in a Migrant Justice T-shirt, hugged in celebration.
“And as you can see, we’re free,” Bernardo said, which Lambek translated to the crowd. The crowd cheered and hollered, some banged on drums while others waved American or Palestinian flags.
“Under current policies, many people are being told that they have to go to the ICE office, where they’re susceptible to detention,” Lambek said in a statement to VTDigger. He considers their rallies to be an “important shield” for those at risk of detention, he said.
Michelle Carter, who drove from her house in Cornwall to the rally, grasped a sign that read “Masks off cowards.”
“I’m elated,” Carter said, referring to Bernardo and Tendo’s release. “I wish it was done.”
Bernardo and Tendo still have pending deportation cases, and Lambek reminded the crowd as much upon their release.
Carter said she considers it her responsibility to show up — but she’s skeptical that ICE is making decisions based on public pressure.
“Unfortunately, I’m not sure it has anything to do with us,” she said.
As crowds dispersed, Tendo stayed on the sidewalk in front of the building. Wearing a black suit, he stood before a panel of reporters, looked into the eye of a news camera and thanked the crowd for their support.
“I love you guys. It’s incredible,” he said.
Tendo said he’s relieved. Back in his home country of Uganda, he was the victim of brutal torture — if he was deported back, that torture would continue, he said. In Vermont, he’s found a new home working at the University of Vermont Medical Center and as a pastor.
Activists rallied for Bernardo back on June 20 when she had a similar check-in with ICE. That day she was also released, on the condition she would return a month later.
After Tendo and Bernardo left the ICE office Monday, people in the crowd fanned back to their cars. The parade of vehicles headed back on to Fairfax Road. In the much-emptier parking lot, three officers stood with their backs to the building, facing the empty parking lot.
Corrections: An earlier version of this story misattributed one of Wuendy Bernardo’s quotes and inaccurately described Bernardo and Steven Tendo’s pending immigration cases.
