Vermont’s sole women’s correctional facility, doubling as the state’s primary ICE detention site for women. Located in South Burlington (Chittenden County).

ICE Detention Role

• 2024–2025: Number of immigrant women held more than doubled to 372 — almost 42% of all immigrants detained by federal authorities in Vermont in 2025
• Transit hub: Half of ICE detainees stay less than 5 days; 72% stay less than 2 weeks
• Transfer pipeline: Almost always the last stop before female detainees are transferred to detention centers in Louisiana and Texas
• ICE inspection conducted April 24, 2025: 2025 ICE Inspection Report

Facility Conditions

• Built over 50 years ago as a short-term detention center for men
• Not designed to serve women — reflects outdated ideology
• Vermont DOC is working on a Women’s Facility Replacement Project to replace CRCF
• In mid-July 2025, attorneys visiting found 9 women in ICE detention — twice the expected number

Connection to South Burlington Raid (March 2026)

The March 11, 2026 ICE raid occurred in South Burlington, the same city as CRCF. The raid resulted in 3 people detained (all later released by federal judge) and major protests. Governor Phil Scott called ICE tactics “totally unnecessary.”

Key Concerns

• Rapid cycling means detainees have minimal access to legal counsel before transfer
• Women transferred to distant facilities (LA, TX) far from Vermont-based attorneys
• Facility was designed for short-term male detention, not long-term women’s housing

Sources:

• VTDigger — The feds are increasingly relying on Vermont’s prisons for immigration detention
• VTDigger — Vermont jails publish immigrant detainee data
• Vermont DOC — Immigration Detainee Dashboard