ICE arrests five Manchester residents in Derry

By Cynthia Prairie
©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC

Five Manchester residents were detained by ICE around 8:30 this morning as they were driving east along Route 11 in Londonderry apparently toward a job, according to Migrant Justice, a Burlington-based advocacy group. Little is known about the situation other than a convoy of six unmarked SUVs, also heading east, stopped a silver double-cab pickup truck. Arrested were five “brown people,” according to a witness.

Their immigration status is not known, but Will Lambek of Migrant Justice said the five men work for a construction subcontractor and are currently in ICE detention, at enforcement and removal operations in St. Albans.

A video of the incident, shot by a passerby, indicates the stop occurred on the south side of Vermont Route 11, between Old Stowell Road and Landgrove Road, in front of Iron Horse Roofing, a local standing seam roof contractor.

A company employee’s pickup truck was captured in the video as the were leaving for the post office. That person told The Chester Telegraph, “There is a large influx of Venezuelans in the area working construction. We have no labor in Vermont who wants to do this type of work. But,” they added, “people do come here legally.” They added that those arrested were not affiliated with Iron Horse and that they were surprised to come upon the arrest.

Local police forces did not have prior knowledge of the arrests. Windham County Sheriff Mark Anderson said ICE — federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement — did not call or notify the sheriff’s office, saying it was “completely blind to this action,” that as 10 this morning “there have been no calls for service from Londonderry.”

Vermont State Police said “the feds don’t coordinate or  inform us of their plans in advance.” VSP at Westminster Barracks added that it too had not received “any calls about this nor did it get any calls from dispatch.” And Chester Police Chief Tom Williams said that he had not heard “a peep” about ICE being in the region.

Vermont police departments, including sheriffs offices, are barred by state law from aiding in immigration raids.

An email to ICE had not been answered as of publication. We will update.

A public meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday at Neighborhood Connections, 5700 Route 100 in Londonderry, to discuss the matter. Andover moderator Jon Bliss, a pastor, said the meeting will be held to “disseminate accurate information, express our feelings about the situation and organize.” State Rep. Chris Morrow of Weston is expected to attend.

In an email to The Chester Telegraph, Lambek wrote, “This is one of dozens of ICE and Border Patrol detentions of Vermont residents this year. Migrant Justice denounces this attack on the immigrant community in Vermont and calls for the immediate release of the community members. Migrant Justice is in touch with contacts for the detainees and is providing support. We encourage anyone with connections to the detainees to contact us for more information.”