Vermont Asylum Assistance Project is a legal services and technical assistance organization that exists to mentor no- and low-cost immigration lawyers and legal workers; educate and serve immigrants and community members; coordinate maximum impact across sectors; and advocate to protect immigrants’ rights. Join us at www.vaapvt.org.
NEWS ALERT: VICTORY!
🔑We're in. When our team visited Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility last Thursday, we expected to meet four ICE detainees. Instead, we found nine—each facing serious barriers to asserting and enjoying their rights. Over four hours, using Spanish, Mandarin, and Turkish interpretation, we uncovered widespread misinformation from ICE, legal documents left untranslated by ICE, and prolonged ICE detention practices.
In response, VAAP filed congressional inquiries, connected families and attorneys, supported bond requests, and submitted a wage theft complaint on behalf of one detainee. These actions matter: one client, misled about her asylum case, is now informed about her options to pursue protection. Another, unnecessarily detained despite previously paying bond, is no longer invisible to the system.
This visit underscores why access to justice and public accountability—through media attention and advocacy—are vital. When systems fail, our communities step in to protect rights and ensure remedies. Together, we can keep the spotlight on these realities and demand the fair treatment every person deserves.
🖥️Join us TODAY 7/31. Lawyers and legal workers are welcome to join us for FREE continuing legal education (CLE) on habeas bail heaings today 7/31 at 3pm on Zoom. More info below.
🚗Join us TOMORROW 8/1. Lawyers and legal workers are also encouraged to join us for a legal assistance visit to Northwest State Correctional Facility from 8am-12pm. Just like last week, VAAP staff will be on hand to assist legal volunteers to gather facts and issue-spot remedies. No experience necessary. Email info@vaavpt.org to RSVP.
👁️🗨️Catch up on local coverage of how VAAP is making sense of:
Join us today, July 31, 2025, from 3:00–4:30 pm for Habeas 201: Bail Hearings, a free continuing legal education (CLE) presentation co-hosted by VAAP and the ACLU of Vermont.
Building on our urgent Habeas 101 training in June—which introduced federal habeas corpus litigation to prevent ICE transfers and prolonged detention—this follow-up session will focus on the process of requesting release from detention on bail as part of a habeas case in Vermont District Court.
This training is designed for attorneys interested in defending immigrant detainees and will include practical guidance, case examples, and strategies.
📌 Details:
Date/Time: July 31, 2025 | 3:00–4:30 pm
Format: Virtual (Zoom link provided upon registration)
Credits: 1.5 CLE credits
Cost: FREE
Don’t miss this opportunity to take the next step in building Vermont’s coordinated detention defense network!
🔗 Register now and receive the Zoom link directly in your inbox.
📣 Thanks again to everyone who joined our Habeas 101 CLE! On June 20, VAAP and VLGS hosted an urgent, first-of-its-kind session on federal habeas corpus litigation to prevent ICE transfers and prolonged detention in Vermont. Sparked by the arrests of Nacho and Heidi, this emergency training explored how habeas can serve as a rapid-response tool to keep detained Vermonters local, preserve access to counsel, and challenge unjust detention practices. 🛠️ Training materials, follow-ups, and the full recording will be available soon. Thanks for your patience!
Join our Weekly Legal & Advocacy Case Rounds—a nonjudgmental, collaborative space for immigration legal and advocacy professionals to share updates, spot trends, and strengthen collective practice across Vermont. No personally identifying client information allowed! Open to attorneys and non-attorney advocates (but not DHS/DOJ personnel), these sessions build shared knowledge without discussing client-specific details. The first hour centers legal practitioners; the second invites broader participation. AI-generated, anonymized notes help track insights on VAAP's blog. Arrive when you can and leave when you need—opt out anytime. Find the meeting links on our Calendar. Come with a question, update, or idea and stay connected!
Last month, we also co-hosted a powerful virtual “train the trainer” session for legal advocates, organizers, and community members across Vermont focused on immigration legal observing, accompaniment, and witnessing practices. Huge thanks to the National Lawyers Guild for partnering with us!
The training covered real-time skills for observing and documenting ICE check-ins, courthouse appearances, detentions, and more — with an emphasis on safe, ethical, and effective support for impacted individuals and communities. We explored:
What to watch for during ICE interactions, youth “wellness checks,” airport transfers, and detention proceedings
How to collect usable notes and recordings to support habeas corpus and other legal filings
Best practices for ethical data sharing and combating misinformation
How accompaniment and community presence can serve as powerful tools for protection and solidarity
The goal? To build a broader network of trained volunteers and rapid-response allies who can increase access to reliable, verifiable information about how immigration enforcement operates in our region today.
Vermont Asylum Assistance Project & National Lawyer's Guild - Immigration Legal Observing Training: How to show up effectively as ICE interventions increase
💻 Don't Forget: Search Our Website for Weekly Immigration Updates
Remember that fear is the strategy and steady, concerted community response is resistence and resilience. For every outlier case in which the Federal Government takes illegal and inhumane action, there are many more quiet cases going smoothly and under the radar. Visit the VAAP blog, learning libraries, and calendar often to stay up to date on the latest best practices. Use the search bar on our website to term-search for topical information and nationally vetted resources. Searching our website is often the fatest way to access our technical assistance. Recently, we've posted about:
Condeming hateful policies that threaten to separate families, force hardworking Vermonters into unemployment, and displace youth from educational programs.
⚽This really is #VermontGreenSummer. Huge thanks to all of our incredible supporters, including Vermont Green FC for championing our fight to build Vermont’s first detention defense program. The Club had VAAP presenting to their biggest crowd in history earlier this month. We're so excited to cheer you on at this weekend's national championship game. GO, GREEN!
