Vermont has experienced an extraordinary escalation in immigration enforcement since January 2025, driven by its proximity to the Canadian border and the Trump administration’s expansion of interior enforcement. The state’s prison system serves as the detention infrastructure under a state-level MOU, creating a unique dynamic where the state government is simultaneously the jailer, the critic of federal tactics, and the subject of legislative efforts to terminate the arrangement.

Key Statistics

• 2024: ~10 immigration detentions statewide (Migrant Justice count)
• 2025: At least 107 detentions statewide — a 10x increase
• Regional deportations (Jan 20–Dec 2, 2025): 9,987 removals in VT/MA/ME/CT/RI/NH region — 1000% higher than same period in 2024
• Women detained at CRCF (2025): 372 — more than doubled from prior year; 42% of all VT federal detainees
• Migrant farmworkers in VT: ~850 year-round, mostly on dairy farms

Detention Infrastructure

Vermont uses state prisons rather than county jails or private facilities for ICE detention:

MOU signed September 4, 2025 by interim Corrections Commissioner Jon Murad. No expiration date. Either party can terminate.

Key feature: VT DOC publishes an Immigration Detainee Dashboard — unusual transparency for detention operations.

Transfer pipeline: Detainees are rapidly cycled through Vermont facilities (50% stay <5 days at CRCF, 72% <2 weeks) before transfer to Louisiana and Texas.

Major Enforcement Actions

1. Pleasant Valley Farm Raid — Berkshire (April 21, 2025)

• County: Franklin (FIPS 50011)
• CBP arrested 8 dairy farmworkers at Vermont’s biggest dairy farm
• Pretext: “concerned citizen” tip about people near Canadian border
• 3 deported to Mexico via expedited removal; 6 fought from detention
• Largest single immigration enforcement action against VT farmworkers
• Industry-wide chilling effect on dairy workforce

2. Hardwick Construction Worker Arrests (September 26, 2025)

• County: Caledonia (FIPS 50005)
• ICE intercepted 9 construction workers in 5 vehicles along Route 15
• Workers from Colombia, Nicaragua, Ecuador — all Hardwick residents
• 7 transferred to Louisiana for deportation
• Coordinated surveillance-based operation (agents tracked vehicles)

3. South Burlington ICE Raid and Standoff (March 11, 2026)

• County: Chittenden (FIPS 50007)
• ICE attempted to arrest Deyvi Daniel Corona-Sanchez at a home
• Community members and Migrant Justice activists blocked access
• ICE deployed pepper spray and flashbangs against protesters
• ICE detained 3 people — none were the target (who escaped)
• All 3 released by federal judge by March 20
• Governor Scott called tactics “totally unnecessary”
• Federal judge warned of “major trial” examining constitutional violations

High-Profile Individual Cases

Mohsen Mahdawi (April 2025)

• Palestinian Columbia University student arrested at citizenship interview in Colchester, VT
• Detained for political activity (pro-Palestinian campus protests)
• Federal judge Geoffrey Crawford ordered release April 30, 2025
• National story — CBS, CNN, NPR, Washington Post, ACLU involvement

Steven Tendo (February 2026)

• Ugandan minister and nursing assistant, asylum seeker since 2021
• Detained February 4, 2026 outside healthcare facility where he works
• Held at Strafford County DOC, Dover, NH (not in Vermont)
• Released after 16 days — judge ruled ICE failed to follow proper procedure
• Works at UVM Medical Center; pursuing nursing degree at Vermont State University
• VT AFL-CIO issued statement (union member)

Hussien Noor Hussien (February 2026)

• Somali refugee released on bail by judge same day Tendo was detained

Legislative and Policy Response

State Level

• H.298: Bill to restrict DOC cooperation with federal immigration authorities; would terminate MOU
• S.298: Senate companion to ban VT-DHS cooperation links
• H.745: Additional immigration enforcement restriction legislation
• VT Attorney General: Published “Know Your Rights” guide (June 2025)
• Governor Scott: Publicly criticized ICE tactics while maintaining state detention agreement

Local Level

• Burlington: Mayor signed executive order (Feb 2026) barring city resources from ICE cooperation; City Council “ICE Out of Burlington” resolution; FIP police policy since 2010
• DHS response: Listed Vermont sanctuary jurisdictions; VT jurisdictions responded that policies comply with federal law

School Protections

• April 2026: Vermont bill would create standard policy for school districts if ICE comes knocking

Judicial Pushback

Vermont federal courts have been notably resistant to ICE overreach:

• Judge Crawford ordered Mahdawi released (April 2025)
• Judge released all 3 South Burlington raid detainees (March 2026)
• NH judge ordered Tendo released for procedural failures (February 2026)
• Federal judge warned of “major trial” on constitutional violations
• VTDigger: “ICE took the wrong people — and got called on it. A reckoning may be coming.”

Key Organizations

• Migrant Justice / Justicia Migrante (migrantjustice.net): Primary immigrant farmworker advocacy; operates emergency hotline; organized South Burlington response
• Vermont Asylum Assistance Project (vaapvt.org): Runs ICE Tracker for Vermont
• Central Vermont Refugee Action Network (CVRAN): Advocated for Steven Tendo
• Vermont Law and Graduate School: Provided immigration legal representation
• VT AFL-CIO: Issued statement on Tendo detention (union member)

Why Vermont Matters for the Pipeline

1. Northern border enforcement expansion: CBP Swanton Sector covers all of VT; border proximity gives federal agents jurisdiction they don’t have in interior states
2. State-as-jailer paradox: Vermont’s government runs the detention infrastructure while its legislature tries to shut it down — a unique tension
3. Dairy industry vulnerability: ~850 undocumented farmworkers on nearly every VT farm; industry would collapse without them
4. Rapid-transfer hub: VT facilities function as processing centers before transfer to Louisiana/Texas mega-facilities
5. Judicial resistance: Vermont federal courts are producing some of the strongest pushback against ICE overreach nationally
6. Community resistance model: South Burlington standoff is a template for future confrontations

Heatmap Score Context

Note on Addison County: The IGSA database shows Addison County Jail, but current research indicates ICE detention in Vermont is concentrated at the two state DOC facilities (NWSCF and CRCF), not county jails. The Addison County IGSA may be historical or for short-term holding only.

Note on Caledonia County (FIPS 50005): Not in heatmap but site of Hardwick construction worker arrests — may deserve a score.

Sources:

• Vermont Public — Immigrants say they’re here to stay
• VTDigger — Vermont inks new detention agreement
• Vermont Public — The South Burlington ICE raid explained
• VTDigger — ICE took the wrong people
• VAAP — ICE Tracker
• VT DOC — Immigration Detainee Dashboard
• WAMC — Vermont lawmakers outline legislation
• Seven Days — Fears of ICE Surge Galvanize Vermonters