…Migrant dairy workers in Vermont are increasingly scared to leave their farms due to the threat of detention and deportation by the Trump administration, according to immigrants’ rights advocates.

“We’re hearing from people and seeing directly that when workers leave the farm alone, without a white boss to drive them around, they are detained,” said Kate Paarlberg-Kvam, executive director of the Milk with Dignity Standards Council.

Their isolation makes them increasingly vulnerable to poor labor conditions, Paarlberg-Kvam said, “because the only protection they have comes from being on that farm.”

Since President Donald Trump took office in January, many dairy workers have stopped leaving the farms where they live and work. They’re forgoing shopping for their own food or visiting family members on nearby farms.

Their fear is well founded…

We also emailed the Vermont Dairy Industry Association on April 3, 8 and 9 and received no reply…

Lambek and Paarlberg-Kvam are concerned about farms that haven’t joined the [Milk with Dignity] program. According to Paarlberg-Kvam, almost 90% of the non-participating farms in Vermont are paying below minimum wage. ..

We spoke to one former migrant dairy worker who’s part of Migrant Justice. She requested to remain anonymous due to the volatile political environment and fear for her safety.

She said she experienced substandard conditions..