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
TODAY! Join us for virtual training TODAY 2/26 from 3:30–5 PM featuring the Habeas Project of New England! VAAP, ACLU of Vermont, and the Mass. Law Reform Institute urgently need attorneys admitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont to file habeas petitions challenging unlawful ICE detention. No immigration experience required; mentorship provided; each case takes approximately 5–10 hours. Learn more or RSVP.
This month, on referral from funding partners at the Vermont Immigrant Legal Defense Fund (VILDF), VAAP received our first call for detention help from a dual U.S. citizen Vermonter.
While returning home from Canada, the person was accused of carrying a fraudulent U.S. passport because of the color of their skin. They were illegally detained for nearly 24 hours, strip and cavity searched, and ultimately released into a snowstorm without their belongings, phone, or money — left walking along a highway toward the next exit.
This same month, DHS released from custody a near-blind Rohingya refugee, Nurul Amin Shah Alam into a snowstorm near Buffalo, eventuating in his tragic and eminently preventable death.
The Vermont person referred to VAAP indeed has viable constitutional and statutory claims. But in today’s climate of fear, they express feeling too afraid to consider bringing them. Validly.
We must sit with that reality. Why should those most targeted — Black and Brown community members — bear the burden of sacrificing privacy and safety in order to vindicate rights that protect us all?
Impact litigation has always depended on people willing to endure extraordinary personal cost. Palestinian Vermonter Mohsen Mahdawi and Turkish Tufts doctoral graduate Rümeysa Öztürk — both of whose removal proceedings were terminated this month, after being detained illegaly in Vermont last year — are among those who have carried that weight.
Impacted communities of color do not owe us their trauma. They do not owe ustheir labor of being civil rights plaintiffs. We are deeplygrateful to those who step forward — and equally supportive of those who cannot.
In honor of Black History Month, VAAP uplifts a message from our partners at the American Immigration Council. Black immigrants comprise 2.3 million eligible U.S. voters and contribute $130 billion in spending power, $29 billion in federal taxes, and $17 billion in state and local taxes. More than a half-million work in health care, and tens of thousands more serve as caregivers and educators. In short, Black immigrants shape U.S. democracy and our future. Yet Black immigrants are disproportionately targeted by DHS for detention and deportation due to "racial profiling, harsher enforcement patterns, and systemic bias." Black immigrants face "higher likelihood of detention, longer time in custody, and greater barriers to legal relief," especially right here in Vermont.
That is why continuity of legal services funding matters so profoundly. When federal enforcement escalates and fear drives people into silence, access to trusted counsel so people can make the most informed and best decisions about their options is often the only safeguard against irreparable harm.
Excitingly, Representative Leonora Dodge (D; Chittenden-23) testified before House Appropriations this week in support of sustained state investment to ensure immigration legal services continue after the VILDF reaches its game-changing $1 million FY26 goal.
You can help by calling your representatives today and voicing support for Rep. Dodge's appeal for emergent immigration legal services funding.
Vermont entered 2025 on notice that it was not as prepared as it should have been for heightened ICE enforcement. While partners and funders and community members are doing extraordinary work to respond and strengthen systems in real time, this moment also calls for sustained public investment.
It is time for the State of Vermont to put meaningful skin in the game through appropriated funding for immigration legal services. Access to counsel is not an abstract policy preference — it is a life-saving equity measure that protects families, workplaces, and communities.
Vermont went out of its way to welcome an outsized number of refugees, parolees, evacuees, and migrant workers over the past decade — citing humanitarian, social, and, most criticially for appropriations, economic needs. If we are serious about our commitment to diversity, our public investment must match it with resources for equity and inclusion.
We urge you to contact your representatives and ask them to support state funding for immigration legal services — ensuring that the inclusion Vermont has championed is backed by durable infrastructure and real access to justice. In the words of Representative Dodge:
"When ICE strikes, whole families, neighborhoods, faith communities, and workplaces are forced to grapple with the enormity of a neighbor’s disappearance overnight. Our schools, farms, hospitals, and small businesses feel the ripple effect, and each incident leaves our communities feeling more afraid and less resilient.
"The good news is that when Vermonters have access to legal counsel and a fair hearing, they are more than twice as likely to avoid deportation and return home to their families, jobs, and communities. When Vermontlawyers seek judicial review of ICE’s violence, they activate the Constitutional checks and balances that protect the democratic rule of law for all. . . .
". . . If the Legislature strengthens due process protections through bills like S.208, S.209, and S.227, we must stabilize fundingfor the attorneys who make those protections enforceable. As we learned this year, without lawyers to seek remedies, ICE’s rights violations go unchallenged.
To learn more about proposed immigrant protections currently under consideration at the State House, watch the recording of Vermont Public Interest Research Group’s (VPIRG's) recent legislator panel on immigration.
Attorneys can additionally take action TODAY at 3:30pm by joining us online for a milestone Habeas Project training co-hosted with the ACLU of Vermont and the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute!
In a hurry? Click a subject link to jump to the corresponding section, featuring relevant resources, referral updates, policy and practice developments, and more:
Empower Communities: Immigrant Workers’ Rights. Feb. 27, from 2–3PM. Join experts from the National Immigration Law Center for a webinar on recent federal policy changes affecting immigrant workers and strategies to defend workers’ rights amid increased enforcement. Register and submit questions here.
Community Voting Night. Feb. 27 from 4–7PM at O.N.E. Center (20 Allen St., Burlington). Hosted by Burlington’s REIB Office with community partners, this event brings voter registration, early voting for the March 3 City elections, and multilingual interpretation together in one place. Open to all eligible Burlington voters with on-site interpretation and translation. Contact REIB at 802-829-6044 for details.
Know Your Rights Information Session on Mar. 10 at 1-2:30PM. Join Mohammad Seraji of the New York Immigration Coalition for an online Know Your Rights session open to all. Registration is required via Zoom.
The National Immigration Law Center's Empower Communities series will continue on March 11, 2026, from 2:00–3:00 PM ET with a webinar titled Education & K-12 School Settings. It will examine how heightened immigration enforcement is affecting immigrant students and families in schools. Click here to register and saveMarch 25 which will focus on enforcement and detention. Register here.
The National Partnership for New Americans will host Part 2 of its virtual training series on March 25 from 1–3 PM, focused on how community organizations can effectively support detained community members in today’s enforcement landscape. This session will offer practical guidance and tools for responding to detention and strengthening community-based support. Register here.
Common Good Vermontinvites nonprofit leaders, advocates, and changemakers to join Nonprofit Legislative Day on March 25 under the golden dome. This annual gathering brings together the nonprofit sector and includes guest speakers, small-group discussions, recognition of the sector on the House floor, and opportunities to connect directly with legislators. Learn more and register here.
Join us at the Vermont Bar Association Midyear Meeting on March 27 at Hotel Champlain. VAAP’s Jill Martin Diaz and Immigration Sector co-chair Becky Fu Von Trapp will co-lead a CLE on immigration, ICE, and workplaces updates as part of the day’s programming, with MCLE credit available. Register here.
Help make No Kings 3 the best yet by showing up for your local community! VPIRG will be back at the Montpelier State House, so if you’re in the area, please consider joining us on Saturday, March 28 at 12:00 PM. More details to come. If your organization would like to table, email jheiden@vpirg.org.
FOR COMMUNITIES
In case you missed it, check out this recently recorded Know Your Rights training with Rep. Becca Balint and ACLU of Vermont. We will incorporate it into the resources curated on our public library at vaapvt.org/library. Please email info@vaapvt.org with any proposed additions or corrections ot the library, or to have your Know Your Rights event featured in this newsletter.
A new VAAP and Vermont Language Justice Project 12-language video series — How to Prepare for Possible ICE Detention or Arrest — is now available on YouTube. Produced with VAAP attorneys, the videos reflect the most common languages spoken by people detained in Vermont jails.
Below are key points from the February 9 meeting of Chittenden County Asylum Seeker Service Providers:
State & Enforcement Updates. Reports of ICE presence in Vermont workplaces have surfaced. Migrant Justice is leading efforts to verify activity and share accurate information responsibly. See vaapvt.org/icetracker.
Legal Preparedness. Families should contact their existing attorney first. Those without counsel may use VAAP’s centralized intake system. VAAP’s Resource Library continues to offer Know Your Rights materials and detention preparedness tools. See vaapvt.org/help.
Medicaid & Data Privacy. Vermont does not collect immigration status in a way that separates medical and demographic data, providing important privacy protections.
Community Resilience & Rapid Response. Vermont Interfaith Action is building a Community Resilience network focused on hyper-local mutual aid, rapid response training, and accompaniment. Migrant Justice continues operating its rapid response hotline. We will cross-post at www.vaapvt.org/partners.
Looking Ahead. Providers emphasized coordination, preparedness, and decentralized collaboration to ensure families have clear legal pathways, rapid response systems are active, and communities remain informed and connected. Subscribe here.
Public Assets publishes on immigration: Vermont’s growth is coming from abroad. VT has relied on international migration to offset consistent domestic outmigration for nearly two decades. In 2025, the state only gained 623 international residents — a decline from 2024, mirroring a nationwide drop — but global arrivals remain central to population stability. Read more.
FOR ATTORNEYS
Over the past three VAAP Case Rounds sessions, attorneys discussed evolving enforcement trends, detention risks, and practical strategies to protect clients in a shifting landscape:
Enforcement & Detention Trends
ICE check-ins in Vermont remain largely routine absent changed circumstances.
If detention occurs, attorneys recommend filing habeas petitions immediately — often alongside a TRO — to prevent transfer to less favorable jurisdictions.
A recent 5th Circuit mandatory detention decision does not apply in Vermont.
Reports of courthouse detentions remain national; none confirmed locally.
Refugee Adjustment Alert (Feb. 18 USCIS Memo)
Refugees must apply for adjustment (I-485) after one year; failure to do so may result in custody for inspection/admission.
Asylees may apply but are not required to.
Litigation is anticipated; implementation remains unclear.
Refugees here one year or more should prioritize filing.
Medical exams (I-693) and RFEs present timing risks — address updates and timely responses are critical.
Carry documents, plan ahead, and review Know Your Rights resources.
Afghan & Ukrainian Status
Many Afghans now hold green cards or pending asylum.
Ukrainians often have time-limited parole and may need asylum filings.
Risk triage: highest risk = criminal history; medium = undocumented or expiring status; lower = LPRs without criminal history.
Parole & Removal Proceedings
Renewing expiring parole in removal proceedings requires careful risk assessment; lapse may increase detention exposure.
Travel & REAL ID
Children under 18 do not need REAL ID for domestic flights (airline rules may vary).
REAL ID enforcement for adults begins May 7, 2025.
Vermont Driver Privilege Cards are not REAL ID compliant.
Consider land travel options where appropriate.
UACs & Relief Strategy
For former UACs with pending asylum, individualized risk assessment remains essential.
U visa strategy requires evaluating certification viability, enforcement climate, and collateral risks before filing.
Practice Updates
Reports of USCIS retaining passports; congressional offices may assist.
Avoid requesting new passports for asylum seekers.
After I-360 approval, best practice is to affirmatively request Deferred Action.
EAD denials based on category errors may warrant refiling with remand orders.
Resources
Habeas Project of New England launches in March (training Feb. 26).
AILA pro hac vice lists available.
Free trainings via VECINA at vaapvt.org/library.
Overall takeaway: Early preparation, rapid federal court response, and careful, individualized risk assessment remain critical.
FROM THE STATEHOUSE
Immigrants' rights legislation is moving quickly in Montpelier. The Senate passed S.208 (law enforcement identification and limits on mask use) and S.209 (protections for sensitive locations such as schools, hospitals, and places of worship) on 27–2 votes; both now in the House. The Senate is now considering S.277 (adopting a model sanctuary schools policy) with promising progress to date. Advocates are also advancing legal services funding, including H.742 (state-funded representation in immigration proceedings) and H.849 (creating a state court cause of action against federal officials).
As VAAP (admittedly slowly) updates our vaapvt.org/statehouse webpage with core priorities and tracking, we encourage readers to follow our No Secret Police campaign partners — Migrant Justice,ACLU of Vermont, and Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG) — for the most up-to-date opportunities and progress this session.
The bullets below are VAAP’s highlights from longer updates shared recently by Vermont’s State Refugee Office to the Refugee and Immigrant Service Providers Network (RISPNET).
Providers reviewed a new USCIS memo stating that refugees will be subject to a mandatory review at one year of presence in the United States.
The memo indicates that refugees who have not yet obtained lawful permanent resident (LPR) status may be required to return to custody for “inspection and examination” related to adjustment.
It remains unclear how this policy applies to individuals with pending I-485 applications and "asylees," and legal challenges are anticipated.
Providers noted that frequent federal memos and policy announcements are contributing to confusion and fear within immigrant communities.
Prioritizing refugee and asylee LPR Applications
Vermont partners are prioritizing outreach to refugees who have been in the U.S. for one year or more and have not yet filed an I-485 application.
The number of individuals in this situation appears to be small, with most connected to USCRI or ECDC.
Organizations are conducting outreach and assisting with application preparation. VAAP reports one client in this category who is already in the process of filing.
A common obstacle has been obtaining the required medical exam (Form I-693). Providers can contact Allie Perline at the Vermont Department of Health for assistance if clients face delays.
Some organizations have submitted I-485 applications without the medical exam to obtain a receipt notice more quickly, responding later to a Request for Evidence. Failure to timely address an RFE can result in deportation proceedings.
Providers emphasized that clients should understand potential risks associated with filing without the I-693, recognizing that practices may change.
Community Messaging
Participants agreed that clear, supportive communication to the broader refugee community is important to address concerns about possible detention.
The goal is to reduce fear, encourage timely LPR filings, and ensure individuals understand their options and available support at vaapvt.org/help.
The Migrant Justice Rapid Response Network has launched an updated webpage with guidance on safely using its emergency hotline amid increased immigration enforcement. For ICE-related emergencies only, call 802-881-7229. For general inquiries, call 802-540-8370 or email. Train andjoin the Network of thousands of Vermonters who mobilize by text! Sign Up for “rapid response."
Congrats to Vermont Legal Aid on securing VT Congressionally Directed Spending for a new mobile justice bus, expanding rural access to civil legal services statewide. Part of more than $100 million secured for VT next year by the federal delegation, this investment builds on prior CDSsupport for immigration legal aid at the Center for Justice Reform Clinic and demonstrates VT's committment to improving access to justice for all.
Check out the Immigration Legal Advocacy Project of Maine's Community Update: Week of February 17, whose model of coordinated statewide representation, education, and systems advocacy is one VAAP studies and strives to emulate.
We also encourage your to read the City of Burlington'sREIB February 2026 Newsletter recognizing Black History Month, and uplifting Equity Spotlight nominations, a multilingual Main St access survey, and a Local Data for Equitable Communities Grant ($50K, due 3/3/26).
The VT Bar Foundation is recruiting for the 2026-29 VT Poverty Law Fellowship cycle focused on immigration at the Center for Justice Reform Clinic. VAAP director Jill Martin Diaz first came to VT as a VPLF, and later supervised the first immigration-focused VPLF, Maya Tsukazaki (final report linked here). We're excited to see our sector growing! Apply & share!
THANK YOU!
Thank you for partnering with VAAP to defend Vermont communities from authoritarianism and Vermont immigrants from state violence. Learn about volunteering at vaapvt.org/volunteer and donating at vaapvt.org/donate.
