Why It Matters
Vermont asylum seekers and people with pending immigration cases are navigating a significantly changed federal check-in system, with in-person appearances now required at a single office in the state’s far northwest corner. The shift reflects broader changes in how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is managing oversight of non-citizens under the Trump administration.
What Happened
Steven Tendo, a Ugandan national who arrived in the United States in 2018 and applied for asylum, completed an in-person ICE check-in at the agency’s St. Albans office on Tuesday. He must return for another check-in within 60 days — a schedule far more demanding than what was previously in place.
Until recently, individuals with pending immigration cases in Vermont were permitted to check in by email a few times per year. Those requirements have since changed: appearances are now in person, occur more frequently, and all Vermont check-ins have been consolidated at the single St. Albans location in the state’s northwestern corner. Fewer individuals are also now permitted inside the office at one time during check-in appointments.
Tendo travels from Colchester to St. Albans for each appointment. His immigration history in Vermont spans years of uncertainty — ICE has detained him multiple times since his arrival, and the agency has granted him several stays of deportation since 2022.
Most recently, ICE detained Tendo on February 4 of this year, two days before a scheduled check-in. A federal judge subsequently ordered his release, finding that ICE had not followed proper procedure in the detention.
By the Numbers
2018: Year Tendo arrived in the U.S. and filed for asylum. 2022: Year ICE began granting him stays of deportation. Feb. 4: Date of his most recent detention. 60 days: Interval before his next required in-person check-in.
Zoom Out
Vermont’s experience mirrors a national pattern. The Trump administration has moved to tighten supervision of asylum seekers and those in immigration proceedings across the country, replacing lighter-touch remote reporting requirements with mandatory in-person appearances at centralized offices. Critics argue the approach places logistical and financial burdens on people who have complied with immigration requirements for years; supporters say stricter oversight is necessary to enforce immigration law and ensure court appearances.
What’s Next
For Tendo and others in Vermont’s asylum-seeker community, the immediate future is defined by recurring check-ins and the persistent uncertainty of unresolved immigration cases. Tendo described the psychological weight of that uncertainty plainly: “Even if you want to do permanent things, you can’t, because you don’t know about your tomorrow. It’s a very hard situation to live in.”
His case remains pending, and the outcome of Vermont’s consolidated ICE check-in structure — and how it affects other asylum seekers traveling significant distances across the state — will likely continue drawing attention from immigration advocates and state officials alike.