On Saturday, Aug. 8, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided, without a warrant, a group of construction workers at a private residence in Cornwall. Migrant Justice, a human rights organization for Vermont immigrant farmworkers, sent out a “rapid response alert” to which I and others responded. Although several workers had escaped the raid, two workers had already been detained by the time many of us arrived. The workers were then sent to Massachusetts, away from their families and support systems.

Those workers who remained were traumatized, but received fast and thorough support and protection by neighbors, community members and Migrant Justice organizers. Later, a GoFundMe page was set up to help with legal fees for workers with future court dates.

Such an outpouring of local support was impressive and was received with gratitude from the victims of this unlawful raid. But let’s not assume that this will be the last ICE incident in our local community. Across the country, immigration enforcement agents continue to patrol, surveil, detain, arrest, disappear, injure and kill civilians. Agents are denying people their constitutional rights by searching vehicles and homes without consent or the appropriate warrants.

You can help fight against this injustice by supporting Migrant Justice Vermont at migrantjustice.net, or become involved in your local Indivisible organization, the closest one being Indivisible Middlebury. Contact by email at: [email protected].

Michele Fay
Ripton