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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ACTION ALERT: CROSSOVER 3/13
VTDigger (March 12, 2026): "' think it’s really important to capitalize on this opportunity that Vermont can be where we disrupt this arrest-to-deportation pipeline that is happening across this country,' said Hillary Rich, an attorney at the Vermont chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union."
🚨 VT Government Has Three Branches — Call Your Legislators Today
The Scott Administration has been consistent in its acquiesent approach to unlawful immigration enforcement activity, and VAAP has been equally consistentin raising concerns about the harm this creates for Vermont families and communities, as we wrote in our December op-ed.
But in Vermont, the Governor is not the final word—the Legislature also has power. With a key deadline called "crossover" tomorrow, Vermonters should call their legislatorstodayto support H.742 for sustained funding for immigration legal services, so lawyers are available through 2027 to enforce rights and pursue remedies when ICE violates them.
That is why sustained funding for immigration legal services matters so profoundly. Rep. Leonora Dodge (D, Chittenden-23) recently testified before House Appropriations urging immediate and continued investment in immigration legal services, to maximize immigrant safety and protect the rule of all for all. Vermont leaders have taken important steps this session to expand immigrant neighbors' rights and remedies under state law—but if Vermont strengthens protections for immigrants through legislation, we must also ensure there are attorneys available to enforce those protections in court. Without lawyers to seek remedies, rights exist only on paper.
🚨 Be Part of the Solution — Rely on Coordinated Intake for ICE Help
In December, VAAP warned in an op-ed in VTDiggerthat immigration lawyers cannot do our jobs effectively if we are pulled away from computer-based legal work to respond to street-level emergencies. When panic overwhelms coordination systems, attorneys lose precious hours that should be spent preparing court filings and challenging unlawful detention or deportation. When chaos overwhelms legal access points, lawyers scramble and ICE benefits.
Yesterday’s enforcement action in South Burlington (e.g., Vermont Public) unfortunately showed that this warning remains urgent. Once again, well-meaning community members flooded legal service providers simultaneously through calls, texts, emails, and social media, bypassing the coordinated intake system Vermont immigration lawyers have agreed to use together, accessible at vaapvt.org/help. The result was duplicated efforts and lost time during a moment when every available attorney hour matters.
As a reminder to all of our Vermont neighbors:
⚠️ Direct requests for immigration legal services in VT to vaapvt.org/help. This system includes coordination among VAAP, AALV, VT Afghan Alliance, WISE, Vermont Legal Aid's immigration team, and the law school's Center for Justice Reform Clinic.
⚠️ Avoid duplicating requests across organizations as this slows us down. Download and share our two-page intake explainer widely (English, for now).
⚠️ If you personally witness an active ICE enforcement (roadside stop, home or workplace entry, or arrest) and want to request boots-on-the-ground, immediate supportcontact Migrant Justice’s statewide Rapid Response network at 802-881-7229, where trained community defenders coordinate real-time response and documentation consistent with national best practices.
⚠️ If you have secondhand or retrospective information, photos, or testimony about ICE activity that is not currently unfolding, submit it through vaapvt.org/icetrackerinstead so we can keep the Migrant Justice Rapid Response line free, but also so organizers can verify information, identify patterns, and prevent rumors from spreading through social media or text chains later.
💡 VAAP is also coordinating beyond Vermont. We are working closely with national organizations and peer states, bringing technical assistance and best practices from Minnesota, Maine, and across New England into Vermont so that we are not reinventing the wheel in a moment of crisis but building on proven community-centered models.
For lawyers who want to help
Immigration attorneys: VAAP urgently needs immigration lawyers willing to partner with a VAAP mentor to champion detainees' immigration legal interests while federal litigation co-counsel pursue federal habeas litigation relief. Most matters require about 10–12 hours of attorney time and VAAP provides strategy support, templates, and mentoring so practitioners can plug in quickly. Learn more at vaapvt.org/volunteer.
Non-immigration attorneys: Communities also need support providing jailhouse legal assistance to immigrants who end up detained in criminal custody following ICE actions, as well as legal support for protesters or bystanders who may face arrest. Contact Migrant Justice to express availability for consults at 802-540-8370 or email info@migrantjustice.net.
On-the-ground legal observers: National best practice is that each trained legal observer team operates under the supervision of one attorney, typically coordinated locally through the National Lawyers Guild (NLG). This means the number of attorneys needed physically present during enforcement activity is limited and coordinated rather than open self-deployment. Get trained this Sunday by the VLGS NLG chapter.
📌Important: Attorneys are not first responders, and in most situations the most impactful way lawyers can protect immigrant Vermonters is by supporting coordinated legal work offsite so that court challenges to unlawful detention and deportation can move forward quickly.
For non-lawyers who want to help
Volunteer as a trained marshal or community observer through organizations that provide accompaniment, witnessing, and documentation training grounded in safety and harm-reduction practices, like Migrant Justice Rapid Response.
Follow calls to action from experienced organizers such as Migrant Justice, ACLU-VT, VPIRG, and allied partners, who coordinate rapid response and public mobilization using established safety protocols rather than spontaneous self-deployment.
Educate yourself and others using reliable resources. Share vetted Know Your Rights materials so that communities have accurate information and fewer people need to rely on emergency legal guidance. Start with this Vermont Language Justice Projectvideo playlist. Continue with VAAP'svaapvt.org/library. Self-help is not fair, but it is what we have to offer; there arenot enough lawyers to speak individually with every community group for KYRs.
Report verified information through appropriate channels, as described above.
Contact your legislators—not only executive agencies—and urge them to fund immigration legal services, so that the rights Vermont promises immigrants can actually be enforced in court.
Support immigration defense infrastructure by donating toward coordinated immigration legal infrastructure, which helps sustain the small but critical network of attorneys defending immigrant Vermonters against unlawful detention and deportation.
📢 Too Long; Didin't Read — Call Your Reps Today and Memorize "vaapvt.org/help"
Yesterday’s events are a reminder that immigration enforcement in Vermont is real and intensifying. Vermont communities are already deeply organized, but the rising volume of enforcement and legal violations means we must strengthen coordination and solidarity across organizations and communities by:
Calling your legislators today and urging their immediate support for H.742 before tomorrow's "crossover" deadline.
Memorizing vaapvt.org/help and relying on the intructions provided.
By relying on coordinated systems, sharing accurate information, and supporting access to counsel, Vermonters can help ensure that every available legal resource is used to defend the rights and dignity of our neighbors.
Sending so much care and gratitude to rapid responders, legal observers, witnesses, allies, legal providers, and all of our community supporters.
From the bottom of my heart: thank you for all you do.
Jill Martin Diaz, Esq.
Executive Director
KEY RESOURCES TO SHARE
Know Your Rights. And help others know theirs, too.
Courtesy of the Vermont Language Justice Project.
