Tracking ICE Use of Vermont Prisons
Data displayed on this website has been collected from public sources and analyzed by Vermont community members, with help from friends based in other New England States. Our two main sources are the Vermont Department of Corrections Jail Tracker website, and federal immigration enforcement data, attained and compiled by the Deportation Data Project, who we cannot thank enough for ensuring public access to this information.
All statistics and visuals using Vermont DOC data will be updated at least once daily, and the Deportation Data Project data will be updated whenever possible. For more information on our methodology, please see the about page.
- References to "detentions" indicate the period when someone is held in prison. We refer to "arrests" separately from detentions.
- All federal data displayed below covers the time period between 01.01.2025 and 08.03.2026.
Total Vermont Detainees
Since 01.01.2025
1121
- Northeast Correctional Complex (NECC)
- 0.1% ∙ 1
- Northwest State (NWSCF)
- 63.1% ∙ 707
- Chittenden Regional (CRCF)
- 36.5% ∙ 409
- Southern State (SSCF)
- 0.1% ∙ 1
- Northern State (NSCF)
- 0.2% ∙ 2
- Marble Valley Regional (MVRCF)
- 0.1% ∙ 1
The figures above reflect the number of detentions in Vermont prisons only. Nearly all ICE detentions occur at either Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans, or Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington.
There were 115 detentions that occurred in the ICE ERO office in St. Albans, according to federal detention data. We have decided to omit these from the totals to better align with the VT DOC Immigration Detainer Dashboard.
Monthly Immigration Detainees
Year
Detention Stint Durations
The following charts break down how long people are being held in Vermont prisons on behalf of ICE. Looking at the number of people staying for specific durations provides a more accurate understanding of the rate at which ICE and the Vermont DOC are shipping people in and out of Vermont than we can get by looking at averages.
It becomes clear that ICE is cycling people in and out of Vermont quickly, in attempt to evade due process by disorienting lawyers and support networks of detainees. The goal is to move people away to Louisiana and Texas as quickly as possible, where their chances of fair proceedings decrease.
Both Prisons
Stint Duration Detainees
- 1 to 2 days
181
- 2 to 3 days
175
- 3 to 7 days
280
- 1 to 2 weeks
247
- 2 weeks to 4 weeks
124
- over 1 month
86
Stint length
Total / Share
< 2 weeks
< 1 week
< 5 days
< 3 days
< 2 days
643
59%
424
39%
312
29%
186
17%
72
7%
Chittenden Regional
This rapid trafficking is most pronounced for women, non-binary, and gender-expansive people being placed in the women's prison in South Burlington. Half of everyone held by ICE in Chittenden Regional stay for less than five days, and 72% stay for less than two weeks.
Immigration lawyers, who are completely overwhelmed by Trump's mass deportation operation, are rarely notified when their clients are transfered, and they have little chance to intervene before it's too late. And as we will see below, Chittenden Regional is almost always the last stop before the mega detention centers in Louisiana and Texas.
Stint Duration Detainees
- 1 to 2 days
142
- 2 to 3 days
132
- 3 to 7 days
115
- 1 to 2 weeks
39
- 2 to 4 weeks
19
- over 1 month
20
Stint length
Total / Share
< 2 weeks
< 1 week
< 5 days
< 3 days
< 2 days
291
72%
253
62%
216
53%
146
36%
54
14%
Northwest State
The situation at Northwest State is not much better. Around half of everyone detained there stay less than two weeks. Detainees here are more likely to be shuffled around within New England, before making the same trip south.
The bulk of all detainees in Northwest prison only stay from three days to two weeks.
Stint Duration Detainees
- 1 to 2 days
37
- 2 to 3 days
41
- 3 to 7 days
164
- 1 to 2 weeks
208
- 2 to 4 weeks
105
- over 1 month
66
Stint length
Total / Share
< 2 weeks
< 1 week
< 5 days
< 3 days
< 2 days
349
51%
168
25%
93
14%
38
6%
17
3%
Outcomes for VT Detainees
The federal court for the District of Vermont is among the most favorable for immigration outcomes in the country. Vermont is also home to legal advocates and community organizations like Vermont Asylum Assistance Project, Migrant Justice, and others who do heroic, tireless work to free people from ICE custody. Their interventions and support are highly effective.
It is also true that the vast majority of people held by the DOC on behalf of ICE have no local support networks and never see the inside of a courtroom in Vermont. As is the case all across the country, many have been arrested without a warrant, detained without justification, and/or transferred illegally.
The result is that 73% of people detained in Vermont are being deported involuntarily.
Release Reason
Total / Share
Removed
Bonded Out - IJ
Court Ordered
Voluntary departure
U.S. Marshals or other agency (explain in Detention Comments)
Transferred
Proceedings Terminated
Order of supervision
Paroled
Relief Granted by IJ
Bonded Out - Field Office
Order of recognizance
Paroled - Fear Found
Voluntary Return
NULL
726
73%
146
15%
35
4%
33
3%
11
1%
9
1%
7
1%
7
1%
6
1%
6
1%
4
< 1%
4
< 1%
2
< 1%
2
< 1%
0
< 1%
Where VT Detainees Come From
Federal detention data allows us to trace each person's path through the mass deportation apparatus, from point of arrest through each facility until they are either freed or removed. This map shows the detention facilities people leave before arriving in Vermont.
The radius of the circles shown reflects the number of people coming from each facility. The inclusion of Northwest State and Chittenden Regional represent how many people were placed in Vermont prisons as a "first stop" in their detention stay. The majority of people detained in Vermont prisons are coming from out-of-state. Over 71% of those held in Chittenden Regional were transfered from out-of-state since 01.01.2025. Around 24% of arrivals to Northwest State come from out of state.
Facility:
First Stops
Although most people detained in Vermont prisons were transferred from an out-of-state facility, this isn't the case for everyone. Here you can see the number of people detained in a Vermont prison before they are brought anywhere else.
Northwest State: 461
Chittenden Regional: 101
Unfortunately the federal arrest data for Vermont is very lacking. The data doesn't capture arrests made by Border Patrol, which seems to be doing the vast majority of enforcement in the borderlands of New England and New York. Research into court records also indicates there is a strong possibility that people sent to Vermont prisons may be less likely to be arrested by way of a warrant or other legal documentation.
First stops do not mean someone was arrested in Vermont. ICE usually moves people across state lines immediately after arrest to evade lawyers and support networks, but this info is helpful in understanding why the "sending" facility numbers at Northwest State are lower than Chittenden Regional.
Chittenden Regional
Sending Facility
Total / Share
Boston Holdroom, MA
Hartford Office, CT
Providence Holdroom, RI
Saint Albans Hold Room, VT
Manchester Holdroom, NH
Northwest State Correctional Ctr., VT
Cumberland County Jail, ME
Hartford Corr Center, CT
Clinton County Jail, NY
Boston SPC, MA
Henderson Detention, NV
VT. Dept. Of Corrections, VT
189
55%
25
7%
9
3%
8
2%
3
1%
3
1%
2
1%
1
< 1%
1
< 1%
1
< 1%
1
< 1%
1
< 1%
Northwest State
Sending Facility
Total / Share
Boston Holdroom, MA
Hartford Office, CT
Saint Albans Hold Room, VT
Plymouth Co Cor Facilty, MA
Providence Holdroom, RI
Manchester Holdroom, NH
Champlain Hold Room, NY
Delaney Hall Detention Facility, NJ
Winn Corr Institute, LA
Wyatt Detention Center, RI
Nyc Hold Room, NY
Moshannon Valley Processing Center, PA
Two Bridges Regional Jail, ME
63
11%
33
6%
17
3%
5
1%
5
1%
5
1%
4
1%
1
< 1%
1
< 1%
1
< 1%
1
< 1%
1
< 1%
1
< 1%
Where VT Detainees Go Next
The following map shows the most common places people end up immediately after leaving Vermont. According to this data, nearly all people departing Chittenden Regional are being put directly on planes and flown south, first out of Patrick Leahy International Airport, and later out of airports in Southern New England.
ICE flights have been met with constant pushback from communities near these aiports, forcing most flights in the second half of 2025 to be made via private charter flights provided by airlines like Avelo Airlines, which has recently discontinued its partnership with ICE in the face of public pressure.
Facility:
Human Rights Abuses
You may recognize the locations listed here from reporting of human rights abuses. The horrific reality of mass deportation campaigns is that they require the construction of concentration camps. It is reasonable to claim some of these facilities have been meeting this criteria since before Trump took office.
Federal Oversight Body Opens New Investigation Into Notoriously Abusive Louisiana ICE Detention Center. Read More
Sen. Ossoff’s Ongoing Investigation Uncovers Credible Reports of Medical Neglect, Denial of Adequate Food or Water in Immigration Detention. Read More
Conditions at Louisiana ICE lockup worsen as detainees increase, immigrant rights advocates say. Read More
Pregnant and Postpartum Women Face Neglect and Abuse in ICE Detention. Read More
Community members have been accepting the legal and bodily risks that come along with slowing down the pace at which people are being smuggled to these facilities all year. It is time for political leadership to step up and help in whatever ways they can.
Chittenden Regional
Receiving Facility
Total / Share
Basile Detention Center, LA
Chittenden Reg. Cor. Facility, VT
Florence Staging Facility, AZ
Karnes County Residential Center, TX
Richwood Cor Center, LA
Boston Holdroom, MA
Atlanta Dist. Hold Rm, GA
El Valle Detention Facility, TX
Houston Contract Det.Fac., TX
Laredo Processing Center, TX
Otero Co Processing Center, NM
Otay Mesa Detention Center, CA
Strafford Co Dept Of Corr, NH
Eloy Federal Contract Fac, AZ
Imperial Regional Adult Det Fac, CA
Port Isabel SPC, TX
Columbus Holdroom, OH
Stewart Detention Center, GA
Saint Albans Hold Room, VT
Calhoun Co., Battle Cr,MI, MI
El Paso County Detention Facility, TX
VT. Dept. Of Corrections, VT
Clinton County Jail, NY
59
17%
58
17%
30
9%
26
8%
26
8%
23
7%
14
4%
14
4%
12
3%
11
3%
6
2%
6
2%
5
1%
5
1%
4
1%
4
1%
2
1%
2
1%
1
< 1%
1
< 1%
1
< 1%
1
< 1%
1
< 1%
Northwest State
Receiving Facility
Total / Share
FCI Berlin, NH
Plymouth Co Cor Facilty, MA
Northwest State Correctional Ctr., VT
Boston Holdroom, MA
Strafford Co Dept Of Corr, NH
Alexandria Staging Facility, LA
Winn Corr Institute, LA
Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center, LA
Port Isabel SPC, TX
Jackson Parish Correctional Center, LA
Karnes County Residential Center, TX
Torrance/Estancia, NM, NM
Buffalo SPC, NY
Wyatt Detention Center, RI
Chittenden Reg. Cor. Facility, VT
T Don Hutto Residential Center, TX
Adams County Det Center, MS
Florence Staging Facility, AZ
Cumberland County Jail, ME
Clinton County Jail, NY
Krome/Miami Hub, FL
145
24%
102
17%
64
11%
58
10%
37
6%
30
5%
19
3%
16
3%
15
3%
10
2%
8
1%
7
1%
6
1%
5
1%
3
1%
2
< 1%
2
< 1%
2
< 1%
2
< 1%
1
< 1%
1
< 1%
Ways You Can Help
Please reach out to us via email if you are interested in learning more about supporting immigrants being smuggled by ICE, or if you have capacity to help put pressure on politicians to implement policy changes that would keep people in New England long enough to get a fair hearing in immigration court.
We are also eager to connect with anyone with a data science background. Your skills can be invaluable in our efforts to raise the alarm about Vermont's role in the the mass deportation pipeline.