While traveling out of state over the Thanksgiving holiday, a second grader from Winooski school and his mother were taken by federal agents. They were sent to a family immigration detention facility in Texas and have been separated from the boy’s father. This family faces risks of further separation and deportation.

Members of the Winooski community are supporting the father to obtain legal representation to help him remain in contact with his wife and son while they are detained, to prevent their deportation, and to work to ensure that the son and mother are not separated from one another.

So far, the Winooski School District has donated two thousand dollars from its emergency donor fund directly to the mother through the online system the jail uses and directly to the father for emergency relocation. However, additional money is needed to cover the cost of legal fees and other logistical costs associated with the detention.

Please donate to support this family’s hope for reunification.

Join us in the fight to protect the students and families in our community!

I will be withdrawing the money into my account and writing a check directly to the Winooski School District Emergency Fund. All funds raised will be managed transparently by a committee endorsed by the Winooski School District. We anticipate considerable legal fees for this family in coming weeks and any remaining funds not needed by this family will go to the Winooski School District emergency donor funds which the district already manages and uses to support families facing severe and unexpected needs like this one. As we prepare for months ahead, this fund is crucial to be able to respond quickly to our families' needs.

We condemn the ongoing violence and terror committed against the immigrant families in our community, in Vermont, and across the nation.