Grocery Action Alert: Support Detained Farmworkers.
Migrant Justice Members In Vermont Arrested By Border Patrol.
From Civil Eats: Federal Agents Detain Workers at a Vermont Dairy Farm.
Armed agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), raided a Vermont dairy farm and arrested eight immigrant workers…
In an emailed statement to Civil Eats, CBP Assistant Commissioner Hilton Beckham said that the action was not a raid targeting farmworkers. “Agents were called to a location at a dairy farm located about 2.5 miles from the Canadian border by a concerned citizen,” she said. “This was not a special operation or a worksite enforcement operation, however, when agents encounter individuals who are in the country illegally, they will take them into custody and determine their immigration disposition, including potentially turning those individuals over to other agencies.”
The workers were members of Migrant Justice, an organization that fights for immigrant rights. According to Migrant Justice’s Will Lambek, “Such a call would have been a flimsy pretext at best, as Border Patrol entered farm property, chased workers through barns, and entered a private dwelling.”
Lambek also said there was no evidence agents targeted the workers based on their organizing work with Migrant Justice, although the organization has reported being targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the past. In March, ICE agents arrested farmworker activist Alfredo Juarez during a traffic stop in Washington state.
More on Migrant Justice and Milk With Dignity:
Migrant Justice is a Vermont-based, farmworker-led organization bringing justice and dignity to essential dairy farmworkers- the cows don’t milk themselves. Their Milk with Dignity Program was influenced by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) Fair Food Program. These worker-driven social responsibility programs (WSR’s) are designed and led by farmworkers and have been proven by a ten-year longitudinal study to be the most effective framework for protecting human rights in corporate supply chains, more so than fair trade.
Petitions:
Freedom For Detained Farmworkers.
On the evening of April 21st, armed Border Patrol agents entered a Vermont dairy farm and detained eight farmworkers. This is the largest single immigration arrest of farmworkers – and one of the largest worksite arrests – in recent Vermont history. The eight workers are now held in detention and at risk of deportation.
Jesús, Juan, Luis, Urillas, Max, Adrian, José, and Dani are all dairy workers living and working in Franklin County, Vermont. Ranging from 22 to 41 years old, they came to Vermont to work on a dairy farm searching for a better life for themselves and their families. For this, they are now being held behind bars.
The community is rallying to the defense of the eight farmworkers, demanding their freedom and a stop to their deportations. Add your voice by signing a petition urging the immigration judge to order their release!
Sign Here.
Free Farmworker Arbey Lopez.
Border Patrol recently detained eight workers on a dairy farm in Franklin County, VT (see the petition for those workers here). Just two weeks earlier, federal agents stopped and detained community member Arbey Lopez as he was on his way to the same farm. Arbey is now held in detention and at risk of deportation.
On April 9th at 5am, Border Patrol agents pulled over Arbey as he was driving to deliver groceries to farmworkers coming off their overnight shift. Agents threatened to break his car windows and ultimately pulled him out of his vehicle.
Arbey is a long-time member of the farmworker community in Vermont, a dedicated father, and a member of human rights organization Migrant Justice. Through Migrant Justice, Arbey has been part of successful campaigns to expand access to driver’s licenses, prevent police discrimination against immigrants, and launch the Milk with Dignity Program. During the height of the first Milk with Dignity campaign, Arbey led an historic 13-mile march to demand rights for farmworkers.
Sign Here.
-Thank you all.