ST. ALBANS, Vt. (WCAX) – It was a tense moment at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in St. Albans Wednesday morning as Ugandan asylum seeker Steven Tendo entered the facility for a routine check-in.
Supporters were expecting Tendo to be detained, but he emerged 15 minutes later to a cheering crowd.
Tendo is a licensed nursing assistant at UVM Medical Center and a pastor who has been living in Vermont since 2021 under a stay of removal, which had delayed his deportation order.
He is barred from working while he goes through the legal process.
Tendo said he has received overwhelming support from the community.
“Vermonters have fed me, they have housed me, they have sent me back to school. They’re incredible people,” Tendo said.
Tendo was given 90 days before his next routine ICE check-in.
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