Communities come together in concern after ICE arrests in Londonderry

By Cynthia Prairie
©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC

About 130 people jammed into the meeting space and anterooms of Neighborhood Connections on Saturday morning, Aug. 8 – while 20 others stood outside – to learn more about the arrests Friday in Londonderry by ICE of five immigrant workers and to hear of strategies that individuals and communities can use to monitor federal actions while keeping everyone safe. The arrests sent a chill throughout southern Vermont.

Concerned Vermonters came from as far away as Arlington to the southwest and Proctorsville to the north, with a good smattering of folks from Andover, Chester, Manchester, Peru, Weston, and, of course, Londonderry. See Friday’s article: ICE arrests five Manchester residents in Derry. 

Most of the five detained men, all Ecuadorians, had been allowed into the country by U.S. Border Patrol but without authorized immigration status. The men are seeking asylum since Ecuador is under a state of emergency caused by continuing deadly violence. A sixth man, however, was visiting friends and was freed from custody since he had a return plane ticket to leave on Sunday. The other four remain in custody in Massachusetts.

Saturday’s meeting was called and moderated Jon Bliss, a pastor from Andover, in response to Friday’s events, in an effort to dispel rumors and offer comfort. State Rep. Chris Morrow helped lead the meeting and discussion. And Burlington resident Will Lambek, of the human rights organization Migrant Justice, offered detailed information on the state of the men and on the legal maze that they now must navigate.

Neighborhood Connections Executive Director Thom Simmons kicked off the discussion by explaining Neighborhood Connections’ role for the day:  “We were asked to be able to host this meeting, and so that’s what we’re doing … Whenever there’s a community group that needs to discuss an issue, you know we will provide that space for for that group.”

Lambek also said that on Friday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement was active in Vermont’s Upper Valley area. Thus, 40 Vermont residents  have been detained by ICE and Border Patrol just this year, “separated from their families and taken out of their communities.  … Most, if not all, are in asylum proceedings.”

With that, Lambek explained that an “undocumented” person could still be allowed in this country legally when they have made an asylum claim. He added that he understood that “most, if not all,” of the Manchester residents detained Friday in Londonderry “came into the country through the border. They were briefly detained by U.S. Border Patrol, then allowed to enter the country through a process called ‘release on recognizance.’ Essentially … the U.S. government said, ‘We’ll let you into the country while your asylum claim is pending.’ ” All those claims are still pending, Lambek said, and the men are going through the process, some having already submitted their full asylum application. However, he said, it is now “common practice” for ICE and Border Patrol to not honor the asylum claims.

That point was emphasized by one visitor, introduced by Proctorsville resident Sara Stowell by way of recalling a founder of Neighborhood Connections, Dr. Delores Barbeau, who was a missionary in South America. Stowell turned to introduce the man standing next to her saying, “Byron and I met when his wife was pregnant, and I had a newborn at her doctor’s office. So we have known each other because of Dr. Barbeau.”

Byron, an Ecuadorian immigrant who has lived in the region for 17 years and raised a family here, told The Telegraph that Dr. Barbeau was his son’s godmother. Byron says he knows the men who were picked up on Friday. “ICE doesn’t care if you have” the paperwork, he says. “They don’t want to listen … they only watch to see if you have black hair, that’s it. …  He paid taxes. He has a Social Security number … everything … But they don’t listen.”

He then spoke of some of the mistaken beliefs people hold:  “I know some people they said, ‘Oh no, they don’t pay taxes, they … take my job.’ ” None of that is true, he said, adding that they do the work that no one else wants to do. “We want the hard work … we are hard working.”  Byron currently owns a landscaping firm that does business in Manchester, Winhall, Stratton and Londonderry. Byron is working toward his citizenship and holds both a work permit and a Social Security card.

Several times during the 90-minute meeting, Lambek left to take phone calls from either the men or their family members as they sought to navigate the legal system. When he returned from the first phone call, he relayed the appreciation from the caller, saying, “If you’ve never been in that situation, it’s hard to imagine how isolating it can be and how buoying to one’s spirits it is to hear that there are people on the outside who have your back and who care about you and your well-being. So it’s really powerful to be able to share with the person … what’s happening right now (at the meeting), and he was really appreciative to hear that.”

Addressing questions of what the community can do, Lambek said Migrant Justice runs “a statewide rapid response network and a 24-hour emergency hotline that receives information about immigration enforcement across the state.” He also passed around a signup sheet to those interested in being part of that network. Migrant Justice’s statewide rapid response network currently numbers about 3,500 Vermonters. Network members receive training on guidelines and best practices to ensure accurate information, how to alert communities and mobilization.

Robert, a restaurant owner since 2012, said, “I have 143 people that I employ in Vermont;  21 of them are from other countries … None of my restaurants would exist without these people that come help us.” He explained that one employee ran into a problem while shopping in New Hampshire. “Something happened and they were detained,” he said. Despite having attorneys, “it took me four weeks to be able to help, to be able to help them, and I don’t know what we would do without them.”  He added that because of the atmosphere of fear, “their families are now wanting them to come home. They’re scared … When I was a kid, I committed more crimes than any of these people.”  He also expressed concern that it is difficult for regular police officers as well as the public to distinguish ICE agents from “teenagers in Halloween costumes.”

To find out more about any of these organizations or to donate, click on the links below:

• Migrant Justice
• NorthshireCommunity.org and its
• Gofundme for legal help for those detained Friday
• Vermont Asylum Assistance Project
• Vermont Freedom Fund