Feds raid farms in Vermont looking for undocumented workers

The Burlington Free Press is reporting that immigration officials served warrants at at least four farms this week.

Amanda St. Pierre, head of a group called Dairy Farmers Working Together had this to say:

“The timing of this is really hurtful,” she said. “It’s come out of the blue.”

St. Pierre said the agents’ unannounced visits to the farms and the use of subpoenas to seek employee records was particularly unsettling to the farmers.

The article quotes John Morton, assistant secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement defending the raids:

“ICE is focused on finding and penalizing employers who believe they can unfairly get ahead by cultivating illegal workplaces,” Morton said in a statement.

Read the full article here.

UPDATE: Here’s the complete ICE press release.