By Kolby LaMarche

Burlingtonians are organizing a peaceful gathering outside the Federal Courthouse on Elmwood Avenue this Wednesday, February 4, at 11:00 a.m., to show solidarity with Hussien Noor Hussien, a longtime Somali resident and taxi driver detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on New Year’s Day. 

The event coincides with Hussien’s federal court hearing on a habeas corpus petition, challenging the legality of his detention at Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans. 

Organizers emphasize a calm, respectful demonstration focused on justice, dignity, and community values, amid ongoing concerns about ICE activities in Vermont. Last week the City released a statement on ICE activity in the city and department’s responses. 

Hussien, 63, was arrested while waiting for fares in his cab at Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport. Surveillance footage shows agents from unmarked vehicles approaching his vehicle, pulling him out, handcuffing him, and driving him away, leaving his taxi unattended. 

He has been held since January 1, marking his second ICE detention. 

The incident sparked alarm in Burlington’s Somali community, which numbers around 500 primarily in Burlington and Winooski.

A refugee who arrived in the U.S. in 2004, Hussien initially settled in Lewiston, Maine, before moving to Burlington in 2013, where he established Freedom Cab and built a life with his wife, Runbila Aden, and their five U.S.-born children, now ages 3 to 17. 

Aden, 46, who works as a cleaner at the airport, learned of the detention while on shift and spent hours searching for him before he called from custody. 

Hussien’s legal troubles stem from a 2019 federal conviction in a U.S. District Court in Maine. Court records reveal he entered the U.S. as a refugee under the name Abukar Hassan Abdule, a relative, accompanied by Abdule’s ex-wife and children. 

He naturalized as a citizen in 2011 under that name while in Maine. After relocating to Vermont, he legally changed his name back to his birth name, Hussien Noor Hussien, in 2013. 

Inconsistencies emerged in 2017 during passport applications for the children from his first marriage, leading to an investigation by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General.

Prosecutors charged him with three crimes: making a false statement on a passport application, impersonating another in a naturalization proceeding, and procuring naturalization contrary to law. Following a three-day jury trial, he was convicted in April 2019. 

Hussein was sentenced to two months in prison and three years of supervised release, with his citizenship revoked, as required by law. 

Upon release in early 2020, ICE detained him for deportation proceedings, but he was freed amid the COVID-19 pandemic on condition of regular check-ins, with a deportation hearing originally set for April 2027.

City officials have echoed concerns about potential ICE escalations. Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak previously advised using the ICE Tracker run by nonprofits like the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project and Migrant Justice for reporting sightings, rather than emergency lines. 

Burlington Police Department’s Fair and Impartial Policing policy prohibits involvement in civil immigration enforcement, focusing instead on public safety.

The upcoming rally, announced via community forums and social media, invites supporters to gather outside the courthouse to affirm that Hussien and all Somali neighbors are valued members of the community. 

Organizers stressed peace and respect, “we hope you will join us in standing together, calmly and respectfully, in support of justice, dignity, and community. As-salamu Alaikum – Peace be unto you.”

Protestors share they are concerned that what is happening in Minnesota could happen here and they are worried, they say, about the City’s vulnerable communities – like Somalis. 

Somali refugees began arriving in Vermont in 2003 as part of a U.S. resettlement program targeting the Somali Bantu, an ethnic minority persecuted during Somalia’s civil war that erupted in 1991. 

The first family landed in Burlington on July 23, 2003, after fleeing violence and enduring years in Kenyan refugee camps like Dadaab. 

Facing discrimination as descendants of enslaved East Africans, they sought safety amid famine and clan warfare. The Somali Bantu Community Association of Vermont, founded in 2007, aids integration with cultural programs and support. 

While Hussien’s supporters view him as a “respected elder” and dedicated family man, federal authorities maintain the detention aligns with ongoing deportation efforts tied to his prior conviction. 

An ICE spokesperson declined to comment on the specifics. The hearing could determine whether he remains in custody or is released pending further proceedings.