ICE Raids Turn Migrant Dairy Workers into Prisoners at Vermont Farm

At Pleasant Valley Farms in Berkshire, Vermont, the largest dairy operation in the state's northeast, immigration enforcement officers conducted a raid that has left Mexican migrant workers effectively imprisoned on the farm. José Edilberto Molina-Aguilar, a 37-year-old farmworker from Chiapas, Mexico, was resting in his bedroom when a colleague burst in, warning of olive-green uniforms approaching. The farm manager ordered Molina-Aguilar and five coworkers to exit the house, assuring them compliance would avoid problems. Since the raid, workers fear even seeking medical care due to the constant presence of immigration patrols in Vermont. The farm is located less than five kilometers from the Canadian border. The incident highlights the vulnerability of migrant agricultural laborers under current enforcement policies.