Three dairy farmworkers detained in April, including during what advocates are calling the largest workplace immigration arrest in Vermont in recent history, were granted release on bond during hearings on May 13 and May 19 in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, and May 22 in Karnes County, Texas. Meanwhile, two others who were arrested during the same incident remained detained in Texas, sparking frustration and concern among immigrant rights advocates and the farmworker community.

“We are showing that when the community organizes, we are stronger together,” said Rossy Alfaro, spokesperson with Vermont-based advocacy group Migrant Justice, in a press release. “Thousands of people have taken action, and together we have freed Max and Arbey. We hope that soon they will be joined by Jose, Jesus, and Adrian. Not one more deportation.”

Eight farmworkers were initially detained by U.S. Border Patrol in the April 21 arrest on a dairy farm in Franklin County, Vermont; one farmworker was arrested on April 9 during a after he was pulled over by Border Patrol while driving to deliver groceries to a farm. Four workers have already been deported to Mexico, according to members of Migrant Justice.

Diblaim Maximo Sargento-Morales, known by friends as Max, was granted release on a $1,500 bond—the minimum amount permitted. Arbey Lopez-Lopez was ordered released on a $3,000 bond, and Jose Molina-Aguilar was ordered released on a $10,000 bond after weeks in immigration detention.

Will Lambek, a member of Migrant Justice, criticized the decision to detain the workers.

“Just a few years ago, at the outset of the COVID pandemic, the same agency that’s now persecuting and deporting this community, the Department of Homeland Security, was calling them essential workers,” Lambek told Prism. 

While the release of three workers marks a legal victory, other cases from the same arrest remain unresolved.

Juan Javier Rodriguez-Gomez was deported to Mexico under the “expedited removal” procedure already used to deport Luis Enrique Gomez-Aguilar, Urillas Sargento, and Dani Alvarez-Perez. Meanwhile, Jesus Mendez Hernandez and Adrian Zunun-Joachin are being held in detention at the Karnes County Immigration Processing Center in Texas, and their bond requests were denied during a hearing on May 22.

Molina-Aguilar’s bond request was initially deferred to a court in Texas, where he was detained. His attorney, Brett Stokes of the Center for Justice Reform Clinic at Vermont Law and Graduate School, challenged the jurisdictional decision, saying it amounted to a denial of justice.

“Justice was delayed in the case of Jose based on an arbitrary and incorrect interpretation of an immigration judge’s jurisdiction,” Stokes said in the press release. “Nevertheless, we remain undeterred and will keep fighting for the release of Jose, Adrian, and Jesus.”

The arrests and subsequent deportations underscored a growing anxiety within Vermont’s immigrant community.

“This is the largest workplace detention of farmworkers we’ve seen in Vermont in recent history,” Lambek said. He said activists are seeing an increase in immigration detentions in the state in recent weeks, leading to family separations and deportations.

“People have made Vermont their second home,” said Lambek. “They are essential to the state’s economy by sustaining the dairy industry.”

Actual removals during the Trump administration so far appear to be a lower daily average than under the Biden administration. Nonetheless, the Vermont case shed a new light on the vulnerabilities faced by migrant laborers in the state’s dairy sector.

On May 1, Migrant Justice led farmworkers and more than two dozen allied organizations in a full-day picket at the Hannaford Supermarket in Williston, Vermont. The demonstrators urged the grocery chain to join the Milk with Dignity program, a worker-designed initiative to ensure humane conditions for dairy laborers. Protesters cited systemic labor violations on farms producing Hannaford-brand milk and called on customers to boycott the supermarket until meaningful reforms were implemented.

In 2017, Ben & Jerry’s became the first major brand to join the program after sustained public pressure. The landmark agreement was praised nationally as a transformative step for the dairy industry, with former CEO Jostein Solheim calling it “a win, win, win for workers, farmers, and buyers.” Farmworker leader Enrique Balcazar called the landmark agreement “a new day for dairy, a new day for the human rights of farmworkers.”

Despite years of campaigning by Migrant Justice, Hannaford has so far declined to adopt the program. However, recent developments suggest a possible shift. Following an international human rights complaint and Migrant Justice’s appearance at a shareholder meeting on April 9, Hannaford’s Netherlands-based parent company, Ahold Delhaize, announced an independent investigation into its dairy supply chain and held talks with farmworker representatives.

Hannaford did not immediately respond to Prism’s request for comment. But in a statement reflecting a new tone, a Hannaford spokesperson told the Portland Press Herald in an interview, “Frankly, in retrospect, we appreciate the fact that Migrant Justice raised this issue for us, and that it became an opportunity to shine a light on the industry and our supply chain.”

“Why is Hannaford so resistant to participate in this program which has demonstrated improvement in protecting worker rights?” said Julie Taylor, the National Farm Worker Ministry executive director, in a press release. “Dairy workers deserve to be protected from retaliation if they complain. They deserve to have safe working environments. They deserve good living and working conditions. They deserve fair pay for their work and support when they are unable to work due to sickness or injury. Farm workers should be treated with dignity and respect for the role they play in helping to feed the nation.”

Editorial Team:
Sahar Fatima, Lead Editor
Carolyn Copeland, Top Editor
Rashmee Kumar, Copy Editor