Vermont prisons agree to improve services for ICE detainees after discrimination complaint

Facing the possibility of a discrimination lawsuit, the Vermont Department of Corrections has agreed to enhance services for federal immigration detainees housed in its prisons. This decision comes after a complaint filed by the Vermont Human Rights Commission in January. The settlement, reached on Tuesday, does not involve a monetary amount but requires the department to improve language interpretation, access to legal counsel, and court hearings for detainees.

The correctional department is obligated to ensure language interpretation services and regular access to immigration lawyers from the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project. These measures are intended to address complaints alleging that the department impeded lawyers’ access to detainees and provided insufficient interpretation services. As a result, many detainees were unable to receive proper medical care or comprehend disciplinary actions due to language barriers.

The settlement comes as a resolution to disputes between the department and advocates for immigrants' rights. Lawyers with the asylum assistance project had alleged that the department restricted their ability to meet with detainees and that non-English speakers lacked adequate language interpretation in state prisons.

Commissioner Jon Murad, who assumed leadership of the department in August 2025, had previously criticized routine meetings between VAAP attorneys and immigration detainees, stating that he was upholding department policies and eliminating practices that should not have been permitted under his predecessor. However, Lauri Fisher, the department's general counsel, clarified that the department's policies have not changed; instead, they have adjusted their rules and practices.

Under the agreement, the department must identify detainees' preferred languages upon intake and ensure that prison and medical staff use mobile interpreters for effective communication. Detainees who are non-English speakers cannot be penalized for disobeying instructions given in English. The department is also required to provide the asylum assistance project with a daily list of all immigration detainees held in state prisons.

The settlement aims to improve language access and attorney availability for detainees, with attorneys from the asylum assistance project now allowed to visit prisons in South Burlington and St. Albans Town every other week to meet with detainees. They will utilize prison tablets for interpretation and may bring laptops or other devices after inspection by corrections staff.