August 18, 2025

Volunteer Today to Amplify Our FY25 Impact!

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. Join us: www.vaapvt.org. FROM IMPACT TO ACTION 📊 OUR FIRST ANNUAL REPORT IS HERE 📊 We’re proud to share VAAP’s first-ever Annual Impact Report, alongside our new Three-Year Roadmap and FY26 Impact Plan at www.vaavt.org/impact. Together, these tell the story of what we’ve achieved in this most unusual first year of operations — freeing community members from detention, building Vermont’s capacity for immigration defense, and expanding pathways for justice, and where we’re headed next. Here’s what your support made possible in FY25 — six key areas where our collective work created real, measurable change: Immigration Legal Services. Opened 50 full-scope cases, served 300+ asylum seekers, freed 5 detainees, won 13 terminations, opened 35 juvenile cases, and filed hundreds of applications. Volunteer & People Power. Mobilized 30+ lawyers (3,000+ hrs), 40+ service learners (5,000+ hrs), 4 embedded attorneys (3,000+ hrs), and dozens of interpreters saving $20K+. Policy & Advocacy. Helped pass 5 pro-immigrant bills, testified in 10+ hearings, presented 3 panels, and secured key state and federal leadership appointments. Education & Outreach. Trained hundreds including 400+ at the 2024 Symposium, delivered dozens of KYRs, 2 podcasts, multilingual videos, and reached 13 of 14 VT counties. Media & Visibility. Earned 30+ media hits, 4 op-eds, 2 TV features, $75K–125K media value, 62K website views, 25K newsletter reach with 54% open rate. Revenue & Growth. Achieved $500K+ revenue growth, doubled budget despite federal cuts, expanded team from 1 to 6 lawyers/support, built an 11-member board, and hosted IJC fellows. None of it would have been possible without the dedication of our volunteers, partners, and supporters like YOU. And we’re asking you to be part of the next chapter. ⏰OUR NEXT STEPS START NOW: A CALL TO ACTION ⏰ We urgently need attorney and interpreter volunteers to join us for one or more of our weekly legal visits to people in immigration detention in Vermont's Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities. If you’ve never done a facility visit before, or if immigration law feels daunting — you’re not alone. This work is accessible, and you’ll have training, mentorship, and a supervising team at your side. We need you! To show you what it’s like, we’ve created a short video linked here and embedded below that takes you inside our detention visit program — giving you a feel for the work, the people, and the difference your presence can make. Watch it, share it, and consider stepping into this powerful, life-changing role. Read on to: Act on Opportunity: State Refugee Office’s Request for Proposals due August 25. Shape Vermont’s Future: Join the August 29 Office of New Americans Study Committee public meeting online. Know the Trends: Updates on local enforcement, detention, and airport transfers. See the Story: Recent media coverage on why Vermont was underprepared, and how VAAP and partners are punching above our weight in national immigration justice leadership. Plus, a cheat sheet for sharing this newsletter with speakers of Spanish, Portuguese, Haitan Creole, Dari, and French.  You make all of this possible, and we are so lucky to have you in our corner. With endless gratitude and care, Jill Martin Diaz, Esq. Executive Director Watch and share the video at @VTAsylum or https://www.instagram.com/vtasylum/  Donate to VAAP Want to read this newsletter in Spanish, French, Haitian Creole, Dari, or Portuguese? Visit www.vaapvt.org/newsletters and select your language in the top right corner. ¿Desea leer este boletín en español, francés, criollo haitiano, dari o portugués? Visite www.vaapvt.org/newsletters y seleccione su idioma en la esquina superior derecha. Quer ler este boletim em espanhol, francês, crioulo haitiano, dari ou português? Visite www.vaapvt.org/newsletters e selecione seu idioma no canto superior direito. Voulez-vous lire ce bulletin en espagnol, français, créole haïtien, dari ou portugais? Visitez www.vaapvt.org/newsletters et choisissez votre langue en haut à droite. Vle li bilten sa a an panyòl, fransè, kreyòl ayisyen, dari oswa pòtigè? Ale sou www.vaapvt.org/newsletters epi chwazi lang ou anlè adwat. آیا می‌خواهید این خبرنامه را به اسپانیایی، فرانسوی، کریول هایتی، دری یا پرتغالی بخوانید؟ به www.vaapvt.org/newsletters بروید و زبان خود را در گوشهٔ بالا سمت راست انتخاب کنید. FROM WINS TO WHAT'S NEXT 📋 SUMMER REVIEW AND FALL PREVIEW 📋 To add context to our FY26 Impact Plan, below we highlight key lessons from a busy summer of detention defense and training, and preview the growth, partnerships, and advocacy we’re building together this fall: We're ramping up VDOC detention visits to a weekly basis. The impact of these visits is stunning. In July, for example, we met with nine detainees seeking legal help at CRCF, many of whom were not even clear on where they were being held. In August, at NWSCF, we met 14. Each visit, VAAP staff and volunteers used in-person and telephonic interpreter services to mythbust ICE's misinformation, intervene on untranslated ICE documents, and challenged ICE's unlawful detention after bond was paid.  We are calling on volunteer attorneys and interpreters to join us for one or more of our soon-weekly visit(s)! Regular and reliable access to DOC facilities is key. Reliable, large windows of visit time will allow more volunteer attorneys to plan ahead of time to join us—human resources our small team urgently needs to help us screen cases, file bond requests, and connect people with counsel before transfers occur. We are prioritizing gaining access to detainees while they are inside DOC facilities over other, downstream settings like the Burlington Airport, since private, in-person attorney-client meetings are the best available setting for meaningful and accessible detention service delivery. Learn more about volunteering here. Our detention defense trainings are already leading to action. We are implementing follow-up items from this summer's immigration bond and habeas bail litigation trainings, and revamping our online library to make resources more accessible. Expect training materials, calls to action, and practice tools to roll out this fall.  A new semester of student-driven VAAP work begins this month. Next week, VAAP welcomes a new student cohort into our UVM service learning class,  Working with Refugees (coded as SWSS1040 by Martin Diaz for interested students). VAAP advocates Emma and Jill will mobilize this semester's students to dedicate about 9 hours per week toward case support and case management for a designated VAAP lawyer, in addition to ongoing virtual library development . We are so grateful for all of our service learning partnerships.  Speaking of service learning, we are welcoming two Semester for Impact interns/fellows this fall. Thanks to support from the College for Social Innovation, undergraduate SFI fellows Sarah and Mona will dedicate about 30 hours per week toward routine VAAP case and operations support,  as well as special projects that will strengthen VAAP’s infrastructure and expand our reach. Expect introductions to these wonderful students and their special projects in the next newsletter. And speaking of introductions, our staff is growing! Five new staff, including two additional Immigrant Justice Corps fellows, are joining VAAP in the coming weeks, rapidly expanding our ability to meet urgent needs statewide. Spotlights coming soon! Read Our Plan FOR COMMUNITIES 📣 Be Heard: Attend Act 29 "Office of New Americans" Study Meetings In the 2025 legislative session, the State House created an Office of New Americans Study Committee to recommend how Vermont should establish a state-based coordinating body for ALL immigrant services in Vermont. Who is meeting: The Legislature's 9-member Committee, appointed by the Governor, includes both state leaders and community stakeholders. The Committee’s work will focus on reviewing data, learning from other states, and consulting with community organizations to understand the needs of foreign born people in Vermont. Its recommendations will address business, workforce, the economy, licensure, training, education, and how state government can better support and provide services. The Committee will meet several times this fiscal year in open meetings during which the public will be given ample time to provide comment. Why it matters: This is a once-in-a-generation chance to shape the systems that allow our organizations and communities to grow — and to thrive. The Committee needs to hear directly from those most impacted, as well as from the people and organizations who serve them every day, voices too often missing from processes like this. That means YOU. What you can do: Join VAAP at these public forums we bring forward the priorities you care about most in our public comments — and make plenty of your own — making sure our collective voice shapes the future for foreign born individuals and families and centers the needs of the most impacted communities in Vermont. Let’s show the Committee what we mean by immigration justice. Mark your calendar, join the conversation, and invite others to attend. 📅 FIRST MEETING is Friday, August 29, 2025 Join the virtual meeting at 11:00AM here Materials and future meeting schedule posted here   📌 In Case You Missed It: VT Agency of Human Services' Grant Round! The Vermont State Refugee Office (SRO) is seeking proposals from experienced refugee/immigrant service providers to deliver employment services, English language instruction, case management, and other social and legal service supports for refugees and displaced immigrant populations in 2026. Grant Term: 12 months (Jan–Dec 2026) with potential renewal Total Funding: ~$1.2M available statewide ~$700K for Chittenden & Rutland & surrounding regions  ~$500K for Brattleboro & Bennington $ surrounding regions  Awards: 2–3 larger ones per region (small awards not anticipated) VAAP is not coordinating applications for this round, but we’ve been invited to sign on to coalition-based asks from service partners as a potential legal services subcontractor under our new Community Legal Service Worker initiative. We’re sharing this here so our entire network knows about the opportunity — and so partners can connect directly if interested. 📅DEADLINE to apply is Monday, August 25, 2025 Copy of AHS RFP Announcement Copy of AHS Questions and Answers  Copy of VAAP Community Legal Services Worker project brief 🧩 Save the Date: 2025 Civil Rights Summit With civil rights at risk around the country, it’s more important than ever to come together and strategize state-level solutions. Vermont has long been a leader in innovative policies to advance civil rights — and we invite you to be part of that tradition. This fall, the Vermont Human Rights Commission will gather in Randolph for the 2025 Civil Rights Summit, bringing together nonprofits, community leaders, movement organizers, and policymakers to explore collaborative approaches to defending civil rights in our state. 📅 Dates: November 14–16, 2025 📍 Location: Vermont State University, Randolph, VT Stay tuned for more details on panelists and registration. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️Save the Date: Vermont Pride 2025! Join VAAP at Pride Center of Vermont's signature event, the annual Pride march and celebration! We'll be marching on Sunday, September 7th and taking point in other festivities in between. Help us show up and show out for queer and trans immigrants this Pride, especially trans immigrant YOUTH! ⚽🥅 Special Thanks to Migrant Justice for Torneo '25! VAAP was so grateful to participate in the annual Migrant Justice Soccer Tournament this past weekend. It was a gorgeous day spent connecting with community members, sharing legal information and referrals, and celebrating grassroots resilience. It really refilled our cups. Thanks for all you do! FOR ATTORNEYS Curious about what it's like to volunteer with VAAP? Interested in championing VAAP supported pro bono projects at your law firm? VAAP attorneys will be mingling at the VBF's upcoming Justice Social on September 25th at Burlington's Halvorson's. Join us. Immigration Roundtable: Where Are We Now? VBA Annual Meeting – Burlington Join Vermont’s leading immigration practitioners and the Vermont Bar Association for a high-level, discussion-based panel exploring the most pressing developments in immigration law today. This 90-minute roundtable will offer a rare holistic view across practice areas, with concrete takeaways and case examples to help you leave informed, empowered, and ready to act. Panelists & Topics Leigh Cole (Dinse) – I-9 spot checks and compliance Becky Fu von Trapp (Von Trapp Immigration Law and VBA Immigration Section Co-Chair) – Employer-sponsored pathways Leslie Holman (Holman Immigration Law) – Consular processing and border crossing Sidney Collier (Collier Immigration Law) – Family-sponsored pathways Dawn Seibert (Defender General’s Office) – Padilla advice and post-conviction relief Emily Kenyon (Federal Defenders) – Criminal immigration charges and D-VT trends Brett Stokes (Vermont Law and Graduate School) – Detention, removal defense, and crim-imm developments under Vermont criminal law Hillary Rich (ACLU Vermont) – Immigration intersections with new state laws and key constitutional/APA/statutory challenges Each panelist will share three key takeaways from their specialty area, paired with a brief real-world example, followed by interactive group discussion and audience Q&A. Expect myth-busting, practical insights, and a call to action for greater pro bono engagement. Moderated by Jill Martin Diaz (VAAP and VBA Immigration Section Co-Chair). What happens in NH impacts everyone. For every state-based immigration advancement in Maine and Vermont, we're also seeing commensurate entanglement between NH state law enforcement and ICE, entanglements deeply felt region-wide. For example, VAAP asylum seeking client Nafiou Lamidi is languishing in unlawful detention at FCI Berlin, and pro bono co-council from Montroll Oettinger & Barquist and ACLU-NH are gaining ground litigating Nafiou's habeas corpus claims in NH Federal District Court. In case you missed it, Nafiou Lamidi in the news: Come Support A Detained Asylum Seeker! – Central Vermont Refugee Action Network shares powerful community testimony after Nafiou’s unexplained detention following a routine ICE check-in. Protesters in St. Johnsbury Demand Release of Detained Asylum Seeker – VisaVerge details the community’s outcry over Nafiou’s arrest and the due process concerns it raised. Rally for African Incarcerated by ICE – Vermont Daily Chronicle covers the May 31 rally supporting Nafiou and demanding transparency around his detention. People rally in St. Johnsbury for release of detained asylum seeker – WCAX News reports on the local solidarity and messages of hope behind the protest. Join the fight for immigration justice for Nafiou and for all: The ACLU of New Hampshire (ACLU-NH) seeks a full-time Immigration Legal Fellow in Concord, New Hampshire. This is a two-year, limited-term position based in NH with required travel to ICE facilities in Dover and Berlin. The fellowship will principally focus on immigration law. Learn more and apply here! ✨ Save the Date: First Annual Justice Gala We’re excited to join our friends at Vermont Legal Aid, Legal Services Vermont, and the Vermont Bar Foundation in celebrating the First Annual Justice Gala — an evening honoring Vermont’s access to justice community and marking 30 years of Legal Services Vermont. 📅 Date: Thursday, November 6, 2025 📍 Location: ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington 🕕 Time: 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM This inspiring evening will bring together legal professionals, nonprofit leaders, public officials, and supporters of access to justice to celebrate the people and organizations working to ensure that all Vermonters—regardless of income—can get the legal help they need. Evening highlights include: Recognition of Legal Services Vermont’s 30 years of service Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments Networking with the broader justice community Opportunities to support the future of legal aid in Vermont Mark your calendars. We look forward to celebrating with you! VAAP IN THE NEWS “The biggest takeaway for me,” Matters-Wood said, “was just, this is a very, very effective system for disappearing people before they have any opportunity for any kind of defense or any real substantive due process.” “We know that life-altering decisions to detain and deport people are happening too quickly and too often in error, not only devastating individuals and families, but also threatening constitutional rights and civil liberties for all. Access to counsel isn’t a luxury—it’s the bare minimum for a fair shot at justice.” VAAP Executive Director Jill Martin Diaz said that this "moment of heightened awareness must spur us to push for meaningful, lasting change: Rigorous congressional oversight, transparent rulemaking and robust legal representation for everyone facing federal detention or removal proceedings." "...Know that these types of enforcement activities existed before this moment... [We] have been seeing these kinds of detentions and removal proceedings for a long time, including here in Vermont. It's a scary moment, but it's not unprecedented like we think, and its an opportunity." THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT 🛣️ BECAUSE OF YOU! 🛣️ From the moment community members reached out after February’s unexpected federal funding pull, your generosity has carried VAAP through a season of growth and urgency! To highlight just a few of the incredible partners joining us in our work: ✔️Our first major individual gift, followed by extraordinary multi-year pledges of support from a circle of anonymous women donors, brought two federally funded advocates back from furlough, added new staff attorney capacity, mobilized seasonal legal assistance from undergraduate service learners, and launched planning for a statewide intake system. ✔️A growing community of volunteers, board members, and community partners increased legal access and ensured service quality within an increasingly volatile legal system, while existing support from the Clowes Fund and the State Refugee Office enabled our executive director to remain available for direct service provision alongside other staff. ✔️Historic gifts from the Vermont Bar Foundation and Canaday Family Trust sustained our growing lineup of legal services as one-time seed grants ended with the conclusion of our first year of incorporated operations. ✔️Nationally, the Immigrant Justice Corps restored and expanded fellowship funding through FY28, bringing VAAP to a total of four IJC fellows/advocates on staff, plus a fifth fellow promised beginning September 2026. ✔️Just last week, grassroots giving surged with the Vermont Legal Defense Fund annoucing its first $250K raised, with an initial distribution of $100K to VAAP to support new detention defense, community lawyering, and practice development programming designed to increase access to justice. ✔️We celebrate the many new resources, gifts, and funds earmarked for VAAP with support from Vermont Community Foundation, United Way of Northwest Vermont, Johnson Family Foundation, the Ben and Jerry's Foundation, Vermont Green FC, and other emerging grantmaking partners. ✔️We also celebrate the many grassroots donors who give one-time or recurring contributions directly to VAAP through our website, or host benefit events ranging from lemonade stands to jersey auctions to collection plates at community gatherings. VAAP is mobilizing staff, volunteers, and partners to overcome existential threats and deliver groundbreaking legal services because of supporters like you. Together, your investments are helping us rightsize our infrastructure, retain staff, expand services, and ensure no Vermonter faces detention or deportation alone. It is all because of you. Thank you! 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.