This commentary is by Vermont Asylum Assistance Project executive director Jill Martin Diaz of Burlington, legal fellow Emma Matters-Wood of Burlington, and language access volunteer Sara Stowell of Proctorsville.
Recent media coverage by VTDigger, WCAX and Seven Days has drawn attention to the unsafe living and working conditions faced by Vermont’s migrant workers, as well as public scrutiny towards the employers responsible for their housing and the work they deliver. At the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project, we deeply appreciate increased media attention on immigrant worker issues. However, the incomplete narratives presented is harming the very individuals laboring at the center of these stories: immigrant workers themselves.
For example, soon after the story broke about Vermont Construction Company’s substandard immigrant worker housing this month, one of VAAP’s asylum-seeking clients was summarily evicted from their own admittedly crowded employer-provided unit. This action — presumably taken by an employer hoping to avoid becoming the next target of negative publicity — left our undocumented client unsheltered and relegated to tenuous couch surfing at a critical point in their asylum case.
During the hurried move-out, our client, a survivor of past persecution, suffered physical injuries and lost access to critical legal documents and corroborating evidence for their asylum claim. These losses further delayed the protracted legal proceedings that gatekeep our client’s agency in workplace and housing conditions.
This sequence of events underscores the need for responsible journalism that considers the broader implications of its reporting. Vermont faces dual crises: a severe housing shortage and an acute authorized workforce shortage. These intersect to create barriers that disproportionately affect Vermont’s immigrant workers, but workers of all backgrounds struggle to find affordable housing, especially in rural parts of the state where access to job sites is further complicated by transportation challenges. While Vermont’s housing crisis is not unique to immigrant workers, they often bear the brunt of public judgment and systemic neglect.
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Sara Stowell, a VAAP volunteer who responded to WCAX’s report, aptly noted that the story failed to follow up on what happened to the displaced workers. Did they remain employed, did they find alternative housing, or are they now unhoused and unemployed? Additionally, how did Vermont’s broader housing and labor shortages factor into their circumstances? By framing the employer as the primary antagonist without providing a holistic account of the conditions under which the subject workers are made to work and live, the reporting missed an opportunity to illuminate systemic issues at play.
It is essential to ask why Vermont Construction Company hired immigrant workers (to fill critical labor gaps) and whether non-immigrant workers face similar challenges (yes, they do). The media should question workers’ wages, housing conditions, and freedom of mobility before repeating objectifying allegations of servitude, as one Colchester Selectboard member suggested in the WCAX story. Reporting should investigate the root causes of unsafe employer-owned living situations: wages that can’t meet the rising cost of housing or health care for all, and the lack of infrastructure to support a growing and diversifying workforce.
If Vermont is to address its economic challenges, it must first tackle the systemic barriers that hinder workers’ ability to live here and thrive. This includes ensuring access to affordable housing, fair wages and pathways to regularized work authorization and immigration status. Additionally, robust protections for all workers, regardless of status or manner of arrival, are essential to creating a just and sustainable workforce.
Equally important is resisting one-dimensional storytelling resonant of the national “immigrant invasion” dog whistle fueling anti-immigrant hate. As Vermont Treasurer Mike Pieciak recently wrote, immigration is a proven driver of economic growth and a key solution to our economic challenges as a rural, shrinking, and aging state.
Between 2024 and 2034, the Congressional Budget Office projects that immigration will reduce U.S. deficits by $900 billion and increase federal revenues by $1.2 trillion, in addition to enriching communities with diverse skills and perspectives. In Vermont, immigration can strengthen the workforce, increase the tax base, and support investments in housing and climate resilience.
Journalists play a crucial role in shaping public discourse on immigration. Instead of vilifying or objectifying individual actors, responsible journalism should instead highlight the structural challenges people face. A good example is Vermont Public’s October feature on agricultural industry struggles like those in play in the Vermont Construction Company stories.
The Vermont Public piece spotlighted immigrant workers’ own experiences navigating substandard working and housing conditions, but also their experiences organizing for better conditions with support from Migrant Justice and the Milk with Dignity Standards Council. This reporting enriched the conversation, exposing the human toll of Vermont’s housing and workforce crises and pointing to actionable solutions.
The stakes are too high for shallow narratives that risk reinforcing harmful stereotypes or further marginalizing vulnerable community members. Amid widespread immigration disinformation, we urge local media to approach immigrant worker stories with greater depth and equity.
By unpacking systemic issues, the media can foster informed public discourse and spotlight solutions that uplift all Vermonters, regardless of status — such as addressing Vermont’s high cost of living, increasing fair labor protections, increasing access to justice, and tackling housing shortages. More holistic reporting can illuminate a safer, more sustainable and more prosperous path forward for everyone.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Jill Martin Diaz: Responsible reporting on immigrant workforce and housing issues.