Vermont dairyman targeted in immigration probe says he thought workers had proper documents

Vermont dairy farmer talks about immigration probe

BAKERSFIELD, Vt. — A Vermont dairy farmer who was among those targeted in a federal crackdown on undocumented workers says he thought three illegal workers had proper documentation.

Clement Gervais (JAR-vis) believes his family’s farm has been cleared following the November inspection by immigration officials, but federal officials say four farm cases are still pending in Vermont.

Gervais Family Farms was inspected as part of a national effort U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced in November to check the records of 1,000 employers nationwide who were suspected of having hired illegal immigrants.

The crackdown has shaken up dairy farmers, some of whom struggle to fill milking jobs and often rely on foreign farmworkers, who may have entered the country illegally.