Migrant Justice Justicia Migrante

The last two months have seen a surge of activity, both from the murderous paramilitary forces of ICE and Border Patrol attacking communities, and from the inspiring responses of those same communities to organize in self-defense. From Minnesota to Maine – and here in Vermont – federal deportation agencies continue to persecute immigrants at unprecedented levels while encountering new forms of resistance at every turn.

The popular pressure against Trump’s attacks is having an impact. On Friday, the U.S. Senate blocked continued funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Migrant Justice has been meeting with Vermont’s congressional delegation in recent weeks to urge an end to funding for ICE and Border Patrol. We applaud last week’s vote against these abusive agencies.

The DHS shutdown – while not immediately halting immigration enforcement – is a step in the right direction and puts the focus squarely where it belongs: the outrageous levels of funding for these lawless agencies. Rather than falling into the trap of negotiating symbolic or counterproductive “reforms” like body cameras, Migrant Justice calls on elected officials to hold the line and ensure that not another dollar goes to ICE and Border Patrol.

Read more to learn about our legislative agenda and the responses to recent detentions in Vermont.

As 2025 comes to a close, we want to share a photo-report from one final farmworker-led action for human rights. In November, as temperatures plunged, farmworkers and allies once again hit the picket line to demand Milk with Dignity.

Immigrant farmworkers set up pickets in front of three Hannaford stores over the course of the day, calling on the supermarket chain to address the human rights abuses in its dairy supply chain by joining the worker-led Milk with Dignity Program. As farmworkers and allies picketed in front of stores, potential Hannaford customers turned around rather than cross the picket line. While workers picketed the stores, Hannaford’s sales dropped by over 20%.

Read more to see the full photo-report on the Migrant Justice website from November’s day of action!

This past year has been one of the most difficult in the history of Migrant Justice. The Trump administration has escalated attacks on immigrant rights, brutalizing and terrorizing communities across the country. The assault is taking place in the courts, through policy changes, and in the streets.

Vermont has not been exempt from this onslaught: we have seen a tenfold increase in detentions and deportations in the state since the inauguration. Over one hundred people in our community have been detained by ICE and Border Patrol through dozens of workplace raids, home arrests, and racial profiling traffic stops. Each detention is a person traumatized, a family separated, and a community terrorized.

But this is not simply a story of suffering. As attacks on immigrants have grown, so too has the community’s strength and resilience. At great personal risk, Migrant Justice leaders continue to organize for human rights. Cristian Santos, speaking at a rally over the summer, issued a courageous call for resistance:

“While ICE patrols the streets, they would have us cower in our homes, terrorized into submission. But we will not allow this government to criminalize us, detain us, and separate families. No human being is illegal. What is illegal is the dehumanization and criminalization of human beings. We are not alone, we are all part of the struggle for justice and dignity, and we must all move forward together.”

Support immigrants organizing to stand up to Trump’s attacks. Donate to Migrant Justice today!

Then read more for the full 2025 Migrant Justice fund appeal!

The recent call-in day to Hannaford headquarters was a big success! Hundreds called the office of president Mike Vail, leaving messages demanding Milk with Dignity. Throughout the campaign, thousands of supporters have made calls to the grocery chain to show their support for farmworker rights.

Mike Vail isn’t the only one feeling pressure this week. His bosses at Hannaford’s parent company – multinational Ahold Delhaize – are feeling the heat, too, thanks to a new blockbuster exposé in news journal De Correspondent. The article pulls back the curtain on the shocking labor abuses in Hannaford’s dairy supply chain, revealing that the $100 billion Dutch company (nearly three times bigger than Dutch institution Heineken, for example) is getting rich off labor practices that would be illegal in the Netherlands.

Read more for excerpts of the stunning article and details on the upcoming pickets at Hannaford stores!

On November 15th, farmworkers will lead pickets of Hannaford Supermarkets across Vermont, urging customers not to shop at the picketed stores. Today, campaign supporters are calling the company headquarters to show their support for farmworkers and demand Milk with Dignity.

Make your call today!

The past few weeks have seen some big advances in the Milk with Dignity campaign. Following the new agreement with Vermont Way Foods, pressure continues to mount on Hannaford Supermarket to get with the program.

This spring, Hannaford’s parent company Ahold Delhaize conceded to years of farmworkers’ courageous denunciations of abuses in the company’s dairy supply chain by commissioning an independent human rights investigation. Migrant Justice recently hosted the investigators charged with looking into labor violations, connecting them with workers on farms supplying Hannaford-brand milk. Farmworkers were unanimous in calling on the company to address systemic human rights violations by joining the Milk with Dignity Program. The investigators now head back to Europe to submit their report to the company.

Stand with farmworkers on Saturday, 11/15. Join the Milk with Dignity pickets of Hannaford Supermarket in Morrisville (10am-12pm), South Burlington (1-3pm), or Middlebury (4-6pm) – or come along for all three!

Read more to learn about the upcoming Milk with Dignity Day of Action!

On August 27th, undercover ICE agents pulled over Guadalupe and Emanuel in their painter’s van in South Burlington, VT. Even though the agents were looking for someone else, they detained the father and son, sending them halfway across the country to a detention center in Michigan.

Thousands of you sprang into action, signing petitions and marching to denounce the arrests and call for their release. And the community support worked! Last week, an immigration judge ordered Guadalupe and Emanuel’s release. After six weeks behind bars, the two are now back in Vermont with their family and community.

Read more to get the full story!

On October 3rd – the anniversary of the launch of the Milk with Dignity Program – we shared an exciting announcement. After years of behind-the-scenes work, local brand Vermont Way Foods premiered a new dairy line sourced in partnership with Milk with Dignity!

The announcement has been making waves in the dairy world and hitting the headlines. The local NBC News affiliate noted “Vermont Way Foods partners with Migrant Justice to promote organic dairy,” while the region’s largest newspaper, The Addison Independent, ran an article titled “Milk with Dignity program expands with cheese product.” Coverage was syndicated nationally to Yahoo! News and MSN.

Read more to get the full story and see more news coverage of the Milk with Dignity expansion!

Farmworkers and dairy entrepreneurs gathered on October 3rd in Middlebury, VT to celebrate a partnership between dairy workers and Vermont Way Foods. The local, organic produce brand will soon launch a new cheese in collaboration with the Milk with Dignity Program. The “Cheese with Dignity” line will be sold at stores around the region.

As part of the agreement between Vermont Way Foods and Migrant Justice, conditions in the product’s dairy supply chain will be monitored for compliance with worker-defined labor standards. The Program’s Code of Conduct sets standards for wages, hours, health & safety, and housing conditions, and creates enforceable protections against discrimination, retaliation, and violence. Vermont Way Foods will pay a premium to invest in improved farmworker wages and working conditions. 

Read more to see the full photo-report from the event and signing ceremony!

End of day update: over 250 calls made!

In our last post, we shared with you news about an exciting partnership with Vermont Way Foods to expand the Milk with Dignity Program. In the coming months, cheese bearing the Milk with Dignity logo will be sold in stores around the region. This coming Friday – the eighth anniversary of the first agreement with Ben & Jerry’s – we will be celebrating the partnership with a pre-launch product tasting!

The entrance of a new company into the Milk with Dignity Program highlights the continued failure of Hannaford Supermarket to take responsibility for abuses and human rights violations in its dairy supply chain. As one of the largest dairy buyers in the Northeast, Hannaford has a tremendous opportunity to drive positive change in the industry by joining the Milk with Dignity Program.

Join with campaign supporters today to call Hannaford and demand Milk with Dignity. Make your call now!