Toward a VT Immigration Coalition

While VAAP and partners collaborate to support the 2025 VT Senate bill to study the need for and feasibility of an Office of New Americans (ONA) equivalent for VT, we are also studying the impact of Vermont's lack of a nonprofit coordinating body, like Upstate NY's Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative (I-ARC) or NYC’s Immigration Coalition (NYIC) or the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA).

Peak bodies like I-ARC, NYIC, and MIRA play a critical role in facilitating cross-sector coordination to address immigrant and refugee needs. These organizations serve as conveners for legal service providers, community-based organizations, and advocacy groups, fostering collaboration to respond to urgent policy changes, coordinate service delivery, and streamline resource sharing. By unifying diverse nongovernment stakeholders, they amplify collective advocacy efforts with state and local governments, provide strategic leadership on immigrant rights issues, and ensure that immigrant communities receive comprehensive support, including legal representation, language access, and integration services.

NY and MA, for example, coordinate state agencies through their state-based ONA and nongovernment agencies through their community-based peak body. VAAP is interested in hearing from community partners and agency representatives who would like to join us in studying the value-added by increased coordination across organizations and sectors.