VAAP Presents at Canada Conference
On May 23, 2025, VAAP executive director Jill Martin Diaz had the privilege of presenting at the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers (CARL) Spring National Conference, a hybrid event that brought together legal advocates and scholars from across Canada. With live audiences in Vancouver, Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax—and hundreds more joining online—this national gathering was a powerful reminder of the strength and solidarity that exists across borders.
Jill attended in person and presented in person to a full room in Montreal as part of the panel “Refugee Law and Lawyers in the U.S.” alongside former Board of Immigration Appeals Judge Andrea Sáenz and Deputy-Immigration-Attorney-In-Charge at Legal Aid Society, Nicole Johnson. The panel was moderated by Jill’s former colleague from Sanctuary for Families, Anne-Cécile Khouri-Raphael, now Co-Chair of CARL’s Education Committee.
A Panel Rooted in Urgency and Resistance
Our discussion tackled the rapidly shifting and often hostile landscape of U.S. immigration law. Andrea Sáenz, Senior Counsel at Co-Counsel NYC and former Appellate Immigration Judge, detailed the erosion of judicial independence, the use of the Alien Enemies Act to detain young Venezuelan men, and the administration’s push for third-country removals to dangerous locations like El Salvador’s CECOT prison. Yet, she also highlighted the resilience of the legal community—through litigation, protest, and appellate advocacy.
Nicole Johnson, Deputy Attorney-in-Charge at The Legal Aid Society’s Immigration Law Unit, focused on the devastating impact of the March 2025 defunding of the Unaccompanied Children Program (UCP). Her insights into the ethical and logistical challenges of representing unaccompanied minors—many of whom now face deportation alone—were both sobering and galvanizing.
Jill shared reflections from Vermont, focusing on “immigration new federalism”—how state-level policies can reduce the harms of immigration status—and the challenges of building a trans-led, volunteer-driven legal nonprofit in a time of existential threat. Jill emphasized the importance of resisting illegal policies and practices without preemptive acquiescence and the power of coalition-building across sectors.
Real-Time Impact: Tools and Offers of Support
The panel didn’t end at the podium. After the session, VAAP received a generous message from the Canada-US Border Rights Clinic, including a referral tool and flow chart used to assess whether clients might qualify for an exception to the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA)—a critical resource for U.S.-based advocates screening clients who may have relatives in Canada. The Clinic explained how the Five Eyes information-sharing agreement can severely limit options for asylum seekers who first make a claim in the U.S. If they later seek protection in Canada, they may be barred from a full hearing and only qualify for a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA)—a process that doesn’t allow them to sponsor family members. This has led to heartbreaking family separations. The clinic offered to train our staff on how to screen for Canadian eligibility before a U.S. claim is made—an invaluable cross-border collaboration. We also received a deeply affirming message from co-panelist Andrea Sáenz, who is interested in joining our pro bono volunteer attorney network. This spirit of generosity and solidarity is what sustains us in this work.
What We Carried Forward
The panel closed with reflections on mental health, burnout, and the emotional toll of navigating constant legal and policy changes. We asked each other: What gives you hope? How do you keep going? The answers were as diverse as they were heartfelt—community, creativity, and the belief that justice is still worth fighting for. As we left the stage and continued conversations in hallways and inboxes, one thing was clear: the legal and political landscape may be volatile, but our collective resolve is not. We are building something stronger than any single policy—networks of care, resistance, and cross-border collaboration.
