Jess Aloe

Free Press Staff Writer

The three members of Vermont's congressional delegation are expressing "serious concerns" to Immigration and Customs Enforcement about the arrests of farm workers and farm worker advocates in Burlington last week.

The offices of Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic Rep. Peter Welch released a joint statement Monday evening saying they are reaching out to ICE to express concerns about the potential impact of President Donald Trump's executive order calling for increased immigration enforcement.

"Instead of focusing on removing those people who pose a threat to public safety or national security, the Trump Administration is targeting all undocumented persons, including the people that help keep our dairy farms and rural economy afloat," the joint statement said.

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One immigrant, Cesar Alex Carrillo, was arrested last Wednesday during a targeted vehicle stop. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed the arrest, said he acknowledged entering the country illegally and is facing deportation to his home country of Mexico.

Two other immigrants were arrested Friday. Migrant Justice identified the two as Enrique Balcazar and Zully Palacios. In a statement Monday, Will Lambek, a spokesman for the group, said all three were being held at an ICE detention facility in Dover, New Hampshire.

ICE said agents conducted a "targeted arrest" on Friday in Burlington on Palacios, who had entered the U.S. legally but overstayed her visa by nearly a year. In apprehending Palacios, the federal agency added, agents also encountered Balcazar, who they said also was in violation of U.S. immigration laws. ICE did not disclose how they believed he had violated the law.

Neither Balcazar nor Palacios had been charged with a crime in Chittenden County, where they were arrested. Carrillo had been charged with drunken driving, but the case was dropped the day he was arrested.

Lambek said the three members of the organization were targeted because of their activities on behalf of farm workers.

Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan said federal authorities had the legal authority to arrest the three advocates.

Donovan, a Democrat, said the rhetoric from the federal government has been about arresting people with violent criminal histories. He added immigrant workers are a critical part of Vermont’s dairy industry, and if such arrests continue, they could impact the state’s agricultural economy. Many do not have legal status.

Boston immigration attorney Matt Cameron, who represents Balcazar and Palacios, said the civil charges against his clients could lead to their deportation. Nevertheless, he expects them to be released on bail, possibly as early as next week.

Vermont’s dairy farms, which produce about 65 percent of the milk consumed in New England, rely on immigrant labor. Most of the workers do not have legal status to be in the United States. State Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts has been looking for ways to help the dairy industry if there are large-scale arrests of farmworkers.

A spokesman for Republican Gov. Phil Scott said officials are working through the state’s congressional delegation to learn more about the arrests.

Contributing: Associated Press. Contact Jess Aloe at 802-660-1874 or jaloe@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @jess_aloe