April 24, 2025

Contact Your Legislators Today

View this email in your browser 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. www.vaapvt.org. ACTION ALERT!   ✊ Take Action Today: Protect Immigrant Rights in Vermont! Feeling overwhelmed? Unsure what to do? Want to make a difference right now? Two powerful, community-backed immigrant support bills are on deck in the Vermont Statehouse—and they need your voice today.   ✅ Take 5 minutes and tell lawmakers to pass H.169 – to stop housing discrimination based on immigration status and ban landlords from collecting unnecessary Social Security numbers. ✅ Take 5 more minutes and tell lawmakers to pass S.56/H.375 – to create a statewide Office of New Americans, ensuring coordinated services and combating disinformation. 📨 Contact your legislators and urge them to vote YES: Find your rep here » 🎥 Watch pr attend the hearings live today: House General & Housing Committee (H.169) House Gov Ops Committee (S.56) 📚 Get informed and spread the word: Rachel Batterson, Vermont Legal Aid's Fair Housing Expert, on her support for H.169 → Coalition letter for Office of New Americans → Full background → and the national bipartisan Office of New Americans State Network background →  🌍 Think global, act local. These community-driven bills are about dignity, safety, and justice for our neighbors. Let’s bring Vermont policy in line with our values—and the best practices from around the country. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Executive Director updates from Monday, April 21, 2025  🛣️Sharing strength and stamina for the long road ahead Greetings, friends of VAAP. We hope you're hanging in there. Recent weeks have brought a wave of high-profile detentions, misleading USCIS notices, litigation whiplash, and reports of legally unnecessary self-deportations. Our practice? Pause, breathe, and respond—don’t react. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Unjust detentions and deportations aren’t new to Vermont—and the government is counting on our exhaustion. But as the National Immigration Litigation Alliance reminded VAAP in a training last week, there are more of us—around 15,000 immigration advocates—than there are ICE attorneys—fewer than 2,000. If we pace ourselves, we can outlast them. With mindful resource-sharing, service coordination, and collective care, we can stay in this fight together for the long haul, and we can win. 🔍 Don't Wait, Self-Educate: Visit vaapvt.org. Now searchable! Get clear, community-oriented updates on what’s changing and how it impacts Vermont. Our latest posts include: ▶️ Video primers on immigration 101 and parole and TPS terminations. 🧠 FAQ webinar on the new USCIS registration requirement. 📅 Event announcements and legal education in multiple languages. 🔎 Get the Fastest Answers Online Got a specific question? Our newly searchable website is often the fastest way to get up-to-date, reliable info — even faster than we can offer 1:1 consults. If VAAP hasn't posted yet on a new or rumored change, it likely means experts are still working behind the scenes to build consensus on the best response grounded in law and policy. If you see a post by a national partner whose work VAAP frequently cites, know you can trust it! Review other sources with caution. 📅 Tue 4/22: Common Good VT's Nonprofit Legislative Day Join VAAP at the State House or online tomorrow, Tuesday April 22 for a day of nonprofit advocacy hosted by Common Good Vermont. VAAP will be: Testifying before the House Committee on Economic Development. Presenting on a panel with Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale and People's Health and Wellness Clinic director Dan Barlow on federal shifts & nonprofit response. 🆕 Need Immigration Legal Help? Contact this "Cold Line" We’re coordinating with state partners to streamline who to call for immigration legal assistance. Follow along on our website here. What we know so far: 📞 Call 1-800-889-2047, the statewide civil legal services intake line managed by Legal Services Vermont (LSV). Leave a message in any language and expect a call back with interpretation assistance available in any language.   📲Submit a quick referral webform to LSV if you are a fellow advocate or other community partner: https://vtlawhelp.org/partners.  🏢 Call or walk-in to a community-based organization with embedded immigration attorneys, listed on our "Get Legal Help" webpage.  ⚠️ What to Expect When Seeking Help We know the need is growing — and we’re growing with it. VAAP is training volunteer lawyers and building new systems to meet shifting legal needs, especially around detention defense, parole terminations, and complex filings. While our capacity is limited, we’re working hard to make sure our time and energy are used where they’ll have the greatest impact. With our partners, we’re setting clear intake priorities to promote equitable access to legally urgent, high-impact assistance. These guidelines are being coordinated with statewide civil Intake "cold line" coordinator Legal Services Vermont and immigration legal service partners — and will be published soon on our Get Legal Help page. Stay tuned, and thank you for your patience as we adapt to meet this moment. 🏛️ Legislative Advocacy: Evolving With the Moment As Vermont’s legislative session nears the finish line, VAAP is adapting our State House strategy in response to last week’s shifts in federal enforcement and judicial review—guided by national and local partners. We remain firmly committed to the community-driven priorities we brought into the State House: ✅ S.56 – Establish a Vermont Office of New Americans ✅ H.169 – Expand fair housing protections for immigrants ✅ S.95 – Clarify standby guardianship for immigrant families ✅ S.123– Reduce barriers to IDs and driver’s licenses ✅ S.44 – Heighten scrutiny of any VT-ICE contracts At the same time, we urge caution. In the wake of high-profile ICE arrests in Vermont, there’s growing momentum to act fast—but moving too quickly risks unintended harm. VAAP now advises measured support for efforts to limit VT DOC’s collaboration with ICE—only if they don’t restrict access to legal counsel or federal court review for detainees. We continue to back nationally significant litigation pending in D-VT thanks to partners like ACLU of Vermont. As a legal services provider taking part in a broader immigration justice movement, VAAP’s approach is to balance long-term system change with immediate harm reduction—keeping clients at the center, always. ✨ Coming soon: Diversifying pro bono opportunities to include training and technical assistance for motions for bond, reopening, stays, and habeas corpus. Evolving Know Your Rights presentations on a fee-for-service basis. Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) family and probate court mentorship for eligible abused, neglected, or abandoned immigrant youth. Follow along between newsletters at ➡️https://www.vaapvt.org/blog Thank you for staying with us in this work, and for trusting that sometimes slowing down is what lets us move forward wisely. Scroll down for events, resources, and more. In solidarity, Jill Martin Diaz, Esq. Executive Director Donate to VAAP PAROLE AND TPS TERMINATIONS  🛑 What to Know About Parole and TPS Terminations Federal courts are currently reviewing efforts to block the termination of humanitarian parole for people who entered the U.S. under the CHNV program or through a CBP One appointment. They are also weighing legal challenges to TPS terminations for countries including Afghanistan, Cameroon, and Venezuela. These lawsuits could protect thousands of people nationwide—including hundreds here in Vermont—but they underscore the fragility of temporary protections like parole and TPS are. Whenever possible, individuals with parolee or TPS should always explore pathways to permanence without delay. This month’s news about two Nicaraguan teens at Champlain Valley Union High School, who announced plans to self-deport after receiving parole termination notices, struck a nerve—and rightfully so. Their story illustrates the profound emotional toll of rapidly shifting federal policies and the precariousness of temporary protections arising under federal policy rather than federal law. While the fear is real, it’s important to understand that the parole termination notices' "deport yourself now or else" warning created a felt emergency—not a legal one. Parole and TPS are temporary permissions to be present, meant to bridge an under-documented person until they can apply for any legally available longer-term status. Options like asylum are always available to and remain available even after temporary protection ends. Remember there is no wrong way to seek asylum, and being under-documented is neither a crime nor does it prejudice your asylum claim. Unfortunately, the government’s use of frightening and misleading parole termination notices seems calculated to sow panic and discourage people from asserting their asylum seeking and other immigration rights. We’re grateful that the CVU story sparked awareness and action—and we want to help communities build long-term resilience in the face of these federal scare tactics. Knowing your rights and having access to trusted legal information can make all the difference when the next wave of policy whiplash arrives. 🗞️ Catch local coverage featuring VAAP’s legal perspective: Vermont Public WCAX VTDigger 🎥 Stay informed: Watch our Top 5 Parole Policy Changes video, also above. Watch our Deep Dive into USCIS Registration video, also below. 👉 Know your rights and share widely. Courts are listening—and so are we.  USCIS REGISTRATION 📝 USCIS Launches Form G-325R Registration Requirement 📝 Beginning this month, USCIS is requiring certain noncitizens to register using Form G325R, a major change rooted in archaic provisions of immigration law. While the government claims it's about "data collection," advocates warn it’s a backdoor surveillance tool with no clear benefit to registrants. 📚 Get the breakdown: USCIS Official Page American Immigration Council Analysis AILA Think Immigration Blog 🖥️ We covered answers to frequently asked questions in our latest USCIS registration webinar. Watch the recording linked above and share widely! 📢 Bottom line: This new process is confusing, fast-moving, and high-stakes, and courts might stop the government from implementing it. If you’re unsure whether to register, consult a trusted legal resource like the video linked above. 🕰️ Some are waiting until later in the 30-day registration period to decide on whether register, in case the courts stay the program in the mean time. UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN On March 21, 2025, the Trump administration abruptly shut down nearly all legal services for unaccompanied immigrant children, cutting off federally funded representation for over 26,000 children navigating the deportation system without a parent or guardian, including dozens of VAAP-represented youth. 🦾 There are no rights without remedies—so we sued. In response, a coalition of 11 nonprofit legal orgs—including VAAP—filed suit in CLESPA v. HHS, challenging the administration’s illegal move. On April 1, a federal judge issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), requiring the immediate restoration of services. 📌 They lag on TRO compliance—but the court isn't letting it slide. The TRO has now been extended through April 30, with hearings scheduled as we pursue a Preliminary Injunction and challenge the Administration's noncompliance. The Court has made clear: the Executive Branch cannot unilaterally strip children of their right to representation. ⚖️ VAAP stands proudly with our fellow plaintiffs. Thanks to your support, VAAP’s two IJC Fellows have returned from furlough despite losing 75% of their funding. We remain committed to fighting for Vermont’s immigrant youth in and beyond the courtroom. 📰 Read more: VT Digger Vermont Public WCAX NBC5 📄 Read VAAP’s filings: Affidavit in Support of TRO Supplemental Affidavit 💸Whatever happens, thanks to you, our staff are securely funded... for now! Donate today to sustain Vermont immigrant youth's legal defense. Every dollar helps! COMMUNITY EDUCATION Are you new to immigration law and unsure where to begin? Tune into a recent conversation between UVM social work department colleagues Cassie Gillispie, LICSW and Jill Martin Diaz, Esq. Social Work Lens podcast. Here's the teaser: "Are you wondering what is actually going on with Immigration in the U.S. right now? Are you curious about what these executive orders mean and how the system is ‘supposed’ to work? We are too! Join us as we speak with Jill Martin Diaz about immigration, and what social workers and helping professionals need to know." Listen here NOTE THE SCHEDULE CHANGE. Every Tuesday from 9-10:30am, VAAP hosts virtual immigration case rounds alternating focus between legal and lay service providers. Come when you can and leave when you need. No RSVP - just come prepared to introduce yourself as well as an anonymized version of your case/project questions for judgment-free and action-oriented group discussion. We can't keep up with ad hoc consult requests, so please save your questions and come to VAAP's weekly case rounds instead! Join rounds REGISTER NOW. VAAP will join Migrant Justice and Pride Center Vermont for a FREE virtual bilingual Spanish/English Know Your Rights webinar on May 6th focused on the rights and needs of queer immigrants. Register below! Register here REGISTER NOW. VAAP will join Migrant Justice and Pride Center Vermont for a FREE virtual bilingual Spanish/English Know Your Rights webinar on May 6th focused on the rights and needs of queer immigrants. Register below! Request training And don't forget to check out another Immigration 101 podcast! VAAP's Jill Martin Diaz recently sat down with Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG) on VT's Voice. Watch now STATE HOUSE UPDATES Time is running short so let's keep up our efforts in the State House! Follow VAAP's advocacy work here and contact your representatives TODAY to support H.169 for fairer housing, S.44 for stricter VT-DHS contract limits, S.95/H.98 for queer and immigrant family planning, and S.56 for an Office of New Americans in state government. Catch up on VAAP's call to State House action in VT Digger here, and hear from partners about opportunities to think globally while acting locally on VPIRG's VT's Voice podcast here. Get involved THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT Behind the scenes, our direct immigration legal services continue. Thanks to our pro bono volunteers and generous financial supporters, we have filed dozens of new asylum cases this calendar year on top of all of the education and advocacy work profiled above. Our legal work is helping Vermont immigrants to access initial asylum-based employment authorization documents, orders of release on bond, venue and address change motions, and more. They tried to bury us, but they didn't know we were seeds. Donate to VAAP   Vermont Asylum Assistance Project  P.O. Box 814, Elmwood Ave, Burlington, VT 05402 802-999-5654 ‖ info@vaapvt.org ‖ www.vaapvt.org Copyright © 2025, Vermont Asylum Assistance Project, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.