Federal immigration agents in Maine detained about a dozen agricultural workers near Skowhegan last week, according to court filings, the second such operation in less than a month.
Court records filed on behalf of Yubizay Torrealba Linarez, one the detained workers, say Customs and Border Protection agents stopped a van transporting workers to Backyard Farms in Madison on Feb. 25.
Torrealba Linarez is a single mother from Venezuela, with a pending asylum claim and no criminal record, according to her lawyer, Tal Rothstein with Pine Tree Legal Assistance.
“We don’t have any reason to believe that they were specifically targeting her or seeking her out, and she committed absolutely no wrongdoing to provoke an arrest,” Rothstein said.
A spokesperson for Backyard Farms said in an email that several contract workers did not arrive at work last week. A spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In early February, border agents arrested at least 17 workers headed to Backyard Farms, according to immigration advocates.
“We’re very concerned that it might be a trend and an escalation of enforcement activity against farmworkers,” Rothstein said.
This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
