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 VT immigrants and community members; maximize impact across sectors; and advocate to protect immigrants’ rights. Join us: www.vaapvt.org.
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FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
We are writing to you in a moment of layered grief and fear. Recently hired and inadequately trained ICE officers have carried out aggressive enforcement actions in Minnesota and in Maine. The murders of Alex Pretti and Renee Good—legal observers and first responders exercising their constitutional rights—have shaken our communities and the national immigration legal movement. That these killings were carried out by a presidential executive agency, and met thus far with impunity, forces a stark reckoning: when legal observers and first responders can be killed for bearing witness, the rule of law itself is under direct attack.
And yet, we are not meeting this moment alone. Across the country, immigration advocates are sharing best practices, tightening safety protocols, and refusing to let fear fracture our work. Here in Vermont, that collective resolve is beginning to register publicly. Governor Phil Scott has now criticized federal immigration actions in response to the Minnesota killings, with coverage in WCAX, Seven Days, Vermont Public, VT Digger, the Hill, the Wall Street Journal—and most recently, the Boston Globe, which highlighted the significance of a Republican governor calling out ICE violence directly. We welcome this leadership. As recently published in VT Digger, we are also clear that more is needed: clarity, logistical support, myth-busting, and concrete direction to state agencies that reflects the seriousness of extrajudicial violence by what has become the largest domestic armed force in the country.
This year, together, we have advanced litigation, expanded access to counsel, strengthened our presence at the State House, and made real progress unlocking Department of Corrections access so we can refocus our fight where it matters most: in the courts.
We are also organizing beyond Vermont. VAAP is in active collaboration with national organizations and peer states, bringing technical assistance and best practices from Minnesota, Maine, and beyond into Vermont—so that we are not reinventing the wheel in a moment of crisis, but standing on proven, community-centered models. Here’s how that coordination looks in practice:
VAAP is on point to field immigration legal help requests in VT, triage cases, and connect people to counsel. This takes more time to coordinate than "rapid response," which is provided statewide by Migrant Justice, below. You can find VAAP intake and updated legal resources here: https://www.vaapvt.org/legal-support. We are also curating vetted, multilingual reliable Know Your Rights information to counter misinformation and panic: https://www.vaapvt.org/library-toc.
Together with partners, we are working to help centralize access points for mutual aid, legal observing, witnessing, and accompaniment. As a starting point, we encourage everyone to watch and share an observer and accompaniment training VAAP and partners recorded last summer, which remains a critical grounding resource.
We want to pause to congratulate community organizers on the launch of an improvedICE activity tracker—a higher-quality, Vermont-specific tool that fills critical gaps in data left open by Vermont’s lack of an Office of New Americans equivalent. We’re excited to share that this tracker will soon be integrated into the VAAP web-based clearinghouse at www.vaapvt.org/icetracker, making it easier for advocates, journalists, and community members to access accurate information in one place.
Below, you’ll find updates on our State House testimony and legislative progress; events happening today and next week; and reflections on increased demand for Know Your Rights resources, how to access what resources already exist, and how to get involved.
Holding grief and holding hope are not opposites. They are disciplines. Thank you for practicing both with us—and for standing with VAAP as we continue to resist fear, defend the Constitution, and build durable legal power together.
Starting NOW (12:30 PM today, online): Please join VAAP, represented by legal advocate Emma Matters-Wood, and our trusted community partners for a free public briefing and information session sharing timely updates from Maine and Minnesota and discussing what we may expect in Vermont, along with information on legal support, how to become an observer, mutual aid opportunities, and more. Register for free.
ALSO today at 1:00 PM ET (online): VAAP director Jill Martin Diaz, in their role as a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) New England Chapter, is modtering a free Zoom session on the current enforcement crisis in Maine. The event is open to all, including nonlawyers seeking first-hand information from Mainers about conditions on the ground. Register for free here.
Tomorrow 1/30 @12 at the Statehouse: Join the VT Human Rights Commission, VAAP, and fellow civil rights advocates for a press conference highlighting concrete steps Vermont can take to safeguard civil rights. VAAP will be there in support of the recommendations that emerged from our Immigration Futures panel at last fall’s Civil Rights Summit, spotlighted at hrc.vermont.gov.
Today VAAP announced we will soon welcome Vermont attorneys Erin Jacobsen and Maggie Frye as Practice Development Fellows, bringing deep experience in program development, community engagement, and Vermont civil legal services practice. Erin, a former immigration law practitioner and professor, joins VAAP after serving in Burlington’s Mayor’s Office during a period of significant local and national challenge. Maggie brings 15 years of experience in housing, consumer, and benefits law and proven success mobilizing pro bono lawyer volunteers to expand access to legal representation. Together, they will help strengthen VAAP’s direct service capacity while building their own lasting pro or low bono immigration legal practices in Vermont. Read the full announcement here:https://www.vaapvt.org/blog-media/release-jacobsen-frye-join-vaap
We’re also excited to have announced the launch of two ImmigrationCommunity Lawyering Initiative positions through VAAP’s partnership with Vermont Legal Aid. Attorneys Daniel Schmidt and Devanne O’Brien are joining roles designed to expand access to legal information, issue-spotting, and referrals by embedding legal expertise within trusted community settings. Daniel brings to his central VT-based role ample Vermont civil legal practice experience, including litigating FEMA relief matters before DHS. Devanne brings to her southern VT-based role current immigration defense experience and a decade of refugee processing experience abroad. Together, their positions support early intervention and access to legal information in close partnership with the community-based organizations Vermont immigrants already access and trust most. Read VAAP’s and VLA’s joint statement on these positions here:https://www.vtlegalaid.org/news/vla-and-vaap-partnership.
Together, these staffing developments strengthen VAAP’s ability to meet this moment with care, coordination, and durable partnerships—while continuing to show up in DOC facilities where ICE detainees are held, in addition to public forums and education events alongside community and civil rights advocates.
NO SECRET POLICE!
Legislative update & reminder: Last week, civil rights advocates convened at the Statehouse to urge Vermont lawmakers to advance policies that safeguard immigrant communities and strengthen civil rights statewide. As VAAP builds out our State House 2026webpage to track immigration-related legislation and share our legal analysis, we encourage folks to follow our No Secret Police advocacy partnersACLU of Vermont,Migrant Justice, and VPIRG for the most up-to-date information on VAAP's legislative priorities, advocacy opportunities, and progress this session. Our partners are doing critical, coordinated work at the State House, and we’re grateful to be lifting up their leadership while VAAP’s legal team focuses on intensive litigation and testimony.
MONDAY 2/2 we pilot our VAAPImmigration Academy—a hybrid, day-long training (in person at the VAAP office + online via Microsoft Teams). It will orient Vermont attorneys (and those pending admission) to immigration law, policy, and practice, with registration and agenda details on the VAAP Calendar. RSVP to info@vaapvt.org.
FROM OUR PARTNERS
VBF Grant Cycle Open: The Vermont Bar Foundation, a trusted systems advocacy partner and staunch supporter of VAAP. has opened its 2026–2027 grant cycle to fund impactful legal services and public legal education, as highlighted in their 2025 impact report. We encourage partners to apply, and warmly invite organizations interested in collaborating with VAAP on a joint proposal to reach out at info@vaapvt.org.
Thank you for being part of this work. At a moment that calls for clarity, care, and coordination, we’re deeply grateful for the partners, supporters, and community members who continue to show up—for one another and for immigrant communities across Vermont. Your trust and engagement make it possible for VAAP to focus where we’re most needed while standing alongside incredible partners advancing change at every level. We’re honored to be in this work with you.
