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From the Saint Albans Messenger: "Jill Martin Diaz, a lawyer from the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project, kicked off the speakers by highlighting the past year of work the organization has had to do in wake of President Donald Trump’s immigration actions.
"'That’s the first thing that I want people to understand about ICE in our streets,' they said. 'These aren’t isolated incidents, they’re not niche issues. This is a part of a pattern. We see an immigration legal system being weaponized by an authoritarian administration that is trying to normalize executive overreach every day.'
"Vermont has not been unscathed by immigration agents, Martin Diaz said, from the action on Dorset Street earlier this year to arrests like that of Mohsen Mahdawi, the Richford dairy workers and Steven Tendo. 'Fear spreads through our families, our workplaces, our schools, our health clinics, our markets, our town squares,' they said. 'It showed that if communities are not organized, if people don’t know their rights and if lawyers are not available to act quickly, overreach moves faster than accountability.'"
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From VT Digger: “'This case had a good outcome, but Mr. Alay Aguilar was subjected to 20 days of detention with absolutely no due process whatsoever — a completely unjustified, inexcusable, traumatizing abuse of power,' Jacobsen said. 'In many ways, Arnaldo’s case was like the other unconstitutional detentions we’ve seen, with our government arresting and detaining people outside of regular and constitutionally required procedures,' she added.
"And his lawyers would not have known about his case were it not for the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project’s detention check program, she said. Under that program, lawyers and interpreters proactively visit the detention centers in Vermont. Alay Aguilar was found at the St. Albans prison during one such visit on March 18, she said.
"Now that Alay Aguilar has been freed, he is back in North Carolina. 'He will be able to resume what he was doing before his apprehension—working, taking care of his family and continuing to pursue his asylum case,' Jacobsen said."
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From The Guardian: "Molina-Aguilar fled Chiapas, Mexico, where organized crime was rampant and he feared forced recruitment to join a gang. He had an appointment with the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project to apply for asylum days after he was detained last year.
“I was scared they were going to send me back to my country,” Molina-Aguilar said in July. 'I had to leave there, and I didn’t want to go back.'"
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Catch up on key immigration news from Vermont and around the country:
- March 11 Dorset Street Arrests: Vermont Public, VTDigger, Montpelier Today, Vermont Public, VTDigger, WAMC, Vermont Public, Burlington Free Press
- March 31st Hearing on Law Enforcement During Dorset Street Arrests: WFFF Burlington, Montpelier Today, Vermont Public, VTDigger
- No Kings Day: VTDigger, The Bridge
- Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund: Rutland Herald, Vermont Business Magazine
- Migrant Justice's Milk With Dignity Campaign: The Guardian, Infonasional, Asatunews, The Guardian, EDairy News
- Judges fired who dismissed cases against Rumeysa Ozturk and Mohsen Mahdawi: Vermont Public, ABC News
- Steven Tendo: VTDigger
- Arrest and release of Migrant Justice leader Nacho: Vermont Public, Burlington Free Press, Vermont Public
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Congratulations to VAAP pro bono attorneys Lila Shapero and Glennis Gold on receiving their very well deserved Vermont Bar Association’s Pro Bono Service of the Year Award at the Annual VBA Mid-Year Meeting. This well-deserved recognition highlights their outstanding commitment to providing critical legal support and advancing access to justice in our communities!
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A heartfelt thank you to the lawyers and legal workers of Vermont, who bring cases week after week—often without recognition—and continue to secure meaningful victories for their clients and communities. Together, this work helps hold the government accountable and advance justice for all!
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