LONDONDERRY — The five Ecuadorian individuals that were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during an early-August traffic stop in Londonderry have been released on bond, via funds from the Vermont Freedom Fund (VFF), a non-profit organization that raised the funds to pay for their respective bond amounts. During an immigration enforcement operation on Saturday, August 8, five Ecuadorian individuals who were authorized to enter the United States while awaiting the results of their pending asylum cases were detained by ICE at a facility in Plymouth County, Mass.
Between Wednesday, August 19 and Thursday, Sept. 3, all five of the detained individuals were released on bond with funds from VFF. Each person was released on a case-by-case basis, with the last individual returning home to Vermont on Sept. 3. VFF works to provide bond funding for marginalized groups, such as immigrant Vermonters, and was able to facilitate their release through a coalition of community support. Over $40,000 was spent by VFF to free the five detained individuals, in per-person increments of $5,000, $5,000, $7,500, $10,000 and $15,000.
“People don’t realize how high these bonds are, and how expensive this work is. It is the only way, and they do all the legal work. They have to go to federal court to get the immigration court to hold a hearing, then muster all the evidence for the hearing, and only then is there a chance of getting out on bond and enable us to pay $15,000 ransom to get somebody out,” said VFF Volunteer and Steering Committee Member Lisa Barrett.
Barrett said that replenishing funds for bond and bail efforts is critical in the wake of such a large usage, and stated that urgent fundraising is needed.
“We are now down to a small amount of money, to the point where if we had another one of these big bonds, we would not, at this moment, be able to pay it. Don’t get me wrong, we would pay for it. We would find a way, even if it means borrowing from friends and neighbors, but we do need support to continue with this important work,” said Barrett.
Despite the costly nature of VFF’s work, Barrett said that relieving vulnerable people from the burdens of detention makes it worth it.
“It’s the greatest feeling in the world. This is why we are here, and I love it when people from the community send us photos of the people we get out. I love seeing the photos, and the idea that we have freed them from horrible, horrible imprisonment,” said Barrett.
Concerned community members can donate via PayPal at VFF’s website, which is linked in this article’s online version, or by mailing a cheque to VFF.
The five released migrants are slated to face costly legal hurdles. Migrant Justice member Will Lambek said that legal fees that are separate from the bond fund provided by VFF were facilitated through a separate fund that was established by the Northshire Community Coalition at a community conversation that followed the initial arrests. The fund, which will still be necessary to support the migrants as they navigate a complex and costly legal minefield has raised $21,135 out of a $30,000 fundraising goal. According to Lambek, the fund is still accepting donations, but is slated to sunset at a yet-to-be-determined date.
“The fund that was created for these five community members will be kept open for a while longer, and then we’ll close it out after a final push for donations,” said Lambek.
Lambek, along with Migrant Justice, has been in contact with the five detained individuals throughout their ordeal, and had the chance to celebrate their return at a ‘welcome home’ dinner that was recently held. According to Lambek, community support and solidarity helped to ensure their release, and the released migrants are feeling a strong sense of gratitude and relief.
“People are relieved to be home. It is an incredibly traumatic experience to be detained on your way to work, and whisked away to a prison in another state where they were held for weeks. It’s hard to put into words how difficult that can be, but the community proved and let them understand from the very first day that they were not alone in this. The solidarity of their neighbors is a big part of what got them through this,” said Lambek.
