When Juan De La Cruz left his home in Panton Tuesday morning to meet with federal immigration officials in St. Albans, he feared he might never be able to return.

“It was definitely terrifying, because you don’t know what’s going to happen,” De La Cruz said outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office Tuesday.

De La Cruz came to the United States from Mexico 20 years ago and applied for asylum in 2017 . About a week ago, he received an email from federal authorities ordering him to check in with ICE on Tuesday.

Peter Hirschfeld / Vermont Public

He and his wife, Kirsten, said they consulted a lawyer who told them there was a high likelihood that federal immigration authorities planned to detain and deport the father of six. According to the National Immigrant

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