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📅 Education & Engagement
Join VAAP and Vermont’s immigration bar leaders for a roundtable on the state of immigration law at the VBA Midyear Meeting in Burlington later this month. Come a day early for the VBF Justice Social—a casual networking event hosted by the Vermont Bar Foundation and Burlington Business Association, happening on September 25 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at Halvorson’s. Additionally, don’t miss the First Annual Justice Gala on November 6 at ECHO in Burlington—an inspiring evening honoring access to justice, hosted by the Vermont Bar Foundation (tickets available here). Another great opportunity to network with colleagues and meet VAAP staff at the VBA Fall Mixer on September 11 from 4:30 PM at Foam—perfect for lawyers interested in pro bono work to connect and stay engaged (learn more here).
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🦾 Immigration Legal Fellow Position
The ACLU of New Hampshire is hiring a full-time Immigration Legal Fellow for a two-year term based in Concord, NH, with travel to ICE facilities in Dover and Berlin. The fellowship will focus primarily on immigration law and offers an opportunity to advance justice for immigrant communities in New England. Learn more and apply here.
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AG Bondi's threats to Vermont for its so-called 'sanctuary' lawmaking is "'[j]ust the latest example of the weaponization of politicized and poorly defined and poorly understood terms,' they said. 'It’s designed to have a chilling effect on Vermont agencies and businesses and organizations’ ability to do their work.'"
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“'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.'"
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"Now, the key immigration law organization helping noncitizens fight detention and removal in Vermont is expanding rapidly, according to Executive Director Jill Martin Diaz. That’s thanks to both private donations — some in the six figures — as well as a $100,000 grant from the Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund."
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🛣️ 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!
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