By Guy Page
A reader has contacted VDC expressing concern about the annual Migrant Justice soccer tournament, scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 16, at the Essex Tree Farm Soccer Complex.
Migrant Justice is an advocacy group for Spanish-speaking immigrants to Vermont, including illegal immigrants. In recent months Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have detained immigrants at some work sites and begun deportation proceedings. Migrant Justice has been a vocal opponent of deportation of illegal aliens.
The event is publicized on the Migrant Justice Facebook page. Accompanying a video of past tournaments, the post says “We’re only one week away until the big tournament of Migrant Justice! See you at Tree Farm Soccer Complex next Saturday (August 16) for a day of competition, food and community.
The reader, who is known to VDC as a Spanish translator to Vermont’s immigrant community, asked to remain unnamed due to concern about retaliation.
The reader said the event draws hundreds of Mexican and Central American farmworkers from Vermont and surrounding states, many of whom are in the country without legal documentation and may be driving without licenses or insurance. The tournament begins at 11 AM, but the reader said participants typically arrive between 9 and 10 AM, potentially creating heavier traffic in the area.
The VDC reader also claimed the event involves heavy alcohol consumption, including underage drinking, and that intoxicated drivers may be on the road after the tournament ends around 6 PM. The reader urged the public to “use extra caution on the roadways that day and to plan their events and errands accordingly.”
In addition to safety concerns, the reader criticized Migrant Justice’s handling of the event, saying each of the 24 participating teams pays $950 in cash to enter, with winning teams receiving medals rather than cash prizes. They also alleged that food and beverage sales at the event come from “unlicensed food vendors” and that Migrant Justice does not provide complimentary food or water.
Migrant Justice, a Vermont-based nonprofit advocating for farmworker rights, describes the tournament on its website as a community celebration and fundraiser. The organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reader’s allegations.
The Essex Police Department has not issued any public advisories related to the tournament as of press time.
According to the Migrant Justice website, the 2009 death of a farmworker on a Vermont farm ‘inspired the production of the documentary film Silenced Voices and led to the creation of the collective Vermont Migrant Farmworker Solidarity Project (VTMFSP). It also served as a catalyst for Vermont’s immigrant farmworkers to begin to come together. With support from VTMFSP, farmworkers organized regional assemblies to share food, build community, and discuss the common problems that they faced. Community leaders emerged from each assembly to form a statewide Farmworker Coordinating Committee. With the new leadership structure in place, Migrant Justice was born, the first and only organization founded and led by immigrant farmworkers in the state.”