Vermont Asylum Assistance Project is a legal services and technical assistance organization that exists to mentor no-cost and low-cost immigration lawyers and legal workers; educate and serve immigrants and community members; maximize impact across sectors; and advocate to protect immigrants’ rights. Join us: www.vaapvt.org.
Want to read this newsletter in Spanish, French, Haitian Creole, Dari, or Portuguese? Visit www.vaapvt.org/newsletters and select your language in the top right corner.
¿Desea leer este boletín en español, francés, criollo haitiano, dari o portugués? Visite www.vaapvt.org/newsletters y seleccione su idioma en la esquina superior derecha.
Quer ler este boletim em espanhol, francês, crioulo haitiano, dari ou português? Visite www.vaapvt.org/newsletters e selecione seu idioma no canto superior direito.
Voulez-vous lire ce bulletin en espagnol, français, créole haïtien, dari ou portugais? Visitez www.vaapvt.org/newsletters et choisissez votre langue en haut à droite.
Vle li bilten sa a an panyòl, fransè, kreyòl ayisyen, dari oswa pòtigè? Ale sou www.vaapvt.org/newsletters epi chwazi lang ou anlè adwat.
آیا میخواهید این خبرنامه را به اسپانیایی، فرانسوی، کریول هایتی، دری یا پرتغالی بخوانید؟ بهwww.vaapvt.org/newsletters بروید و زبان خود را در گوشهٔ بالا سمت راست انتخاب کنید.
Mohammed Rashid Is Free—and So Are We Taking a Fall Break 🌿
Dear friends and supporters,
This week, your outpouring of support carried us through one of VAAP’s most powerful moments yet. As reported by the VT Digger, Palestinian asylee Mohammed Rashid is finally free and on his way home to be reunited with his U.S. citizen family for the first time since winning asylum 15 months ago. It’s a victory worth celebrating, and one that reflects your collective commitment to immigrant justice in Vermont.
After an extraordinary season of service, our team is feeling the effects of a busy year and wanting to pause and enjoy this feeling of carrying very full hearts. We’re taking a short “fall break” from external programming and new case work between November 10-21. We're planning to use this "break" to rest and reset, so we can enter the holiday season healthy—and ready for what’s ahead.
During this time:
We’ll remain operational as normal for the purposes of continuing service delivery for existing clients and following through with existing community education commitments, but will not accept new requests for representation, presentations, or collaborations.
Case rounds are paused for the next two Tuesdays, 11/11 and 11/18.
Detention center visitsat NWSCF and CRCF are also paused while we evaluate the sustainability of this week’s volunteer interpreter mobilization model—especially given DOC’s recent decision to bar us from providing our own professional language access services.
We’re deeply grateful for an amazing NWSCF service visit this week and all that this community has achieved together this year. To put that impact in perspective, since August, when we began to welcome new staff, we:
Recruited three community legal support workers who will be accessible to rural immigrant communities across Vermont.
Welcomed our inaugural Operations Director to professionalize and sustain our growing personnel management and volunteer coordination efforts.
Trained nearly 100 pro bono attorneys, paralegals, interpreters, and community allies.
Represented clients in 62 removal defense cases.
Provided limited scope representation to 27 detained clients.
Litigated bond, temporary restraining order, asylum merits, and special findings hearings, securing for numerous clients pathways to permanent status and protections from unlawful detention!
Thank you for being part of this growing movement for dignity and due process. Your support makes this work—and these victories—possible. Once we've had a chance to catch our breath, we are excited to follow-up with all of the incredible folks who recently and previous reiterated their willingness to get trained to join our legal support work. Coming soon!
