NEWPORT — Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials detained 10 construction workers last week near an affordable housing project in Newport Center, marking Vermont’s second large-scale immigration enforcement action in two months.
The arrests occurred near the Newport Crossing development site, where workers employed by Patriot Buildings System, a Londonderry, New Hampshire subcontractor, had finished their shift, according to RuralEdge executive director Patrick Shattuck.
The nonprofit housing developer oversees the project, which is being constructed by H.P. Cummings Construction Company.
Shattuck stated that the workers had finished work for the day and had left the construction site when the arrests took place nearby.
The detainees were being held Friday at Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans, according to the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project.
The Burlington-based advocacy group said approximately five individuals carried immigration documentation and were scheduled for release.
The incident follows similar enforcement action last month when eight migrant workers were arrested at a Berkshire dairy farm. Four of those detainees have been deported to Mexico, while others remain in ICE custody.
Advocacy groups report increased ICE activity statewide as federal officials implement expanded immigration enforcement policies.
ICE officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
