VAAP Presents with Rep. Becca Balint
On January 30, 2025, VAAP joined Vermont Afghan Alliance, the State Refugee Office, and the Attorney General’s Office to co-present on immigration rights with House Representative Becca Balint (D-VT). View the full recording here and a summary of VAAP’s talking points below:
Opening Remarks:
Yesterday, a VAAP staff attorney had a troubling encounter with ICE while driving a client back from a USCIS-scheduled appointment on Riverside Drive in Burlington. This incident underscores the ongoing need for vigilance and knowledge of constitutional protections.
Know Your Rights:
The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution remains unchanged and limits when ICE can intrude into your privacy without a judicial warrant in public, quasi-public/private, and private spaces.
VAAP curates a virtual learning library for communities and lawyers with guidance for:
Immigrants being stopped by ICE
Proprietors and representatives of quasi-public and private spaces
Bystanders witnessing ICE interactions
We emphasize safety planning and encourage reporting rights violations.
Legal Updates:
Federal Legislation: Largely unchanged, except for the passage of the Laken Riley Act last night expanding mandatory ICE detention and states’ power to prosecute enforcement.
Humanitarian Pathways: Humanitarian pathways and asylum remain legally intact, though increasingly inaccessible and criminalized in violation of international law.
Executive Policies:
Rapid changes are happening, many within the traditional purview of the president (such as refugee resettlement numbers) but also others blatantly unconstitutional or contrary to federal law (such as birthright citizenship challenges and refusal to fund congressionally directed appropriations).
These actions appear designed to stoke fear and derail essential services for immigrant communities.
We urge everyone to consult vetted sources, avoid the doom scroll, and continue our work where possible. Good information has never been more available.
Community Strain and Coordination:
The lack of centralized coordination for immigrant services across sectors is straining all of us. We are working hard to organize ourselves, but in the meantime:
Visit VAAP's website for educational resources.
Call the LSV hotline for legal help referrals.
Call 2-1-1 for material resources and assistance.
Centralized documentation of unmet needs will help us educate lawmakers and policymakers about gaps exacerbated by the administration’s explicitly anti-immigrant agenda.
Upcoming Events:
Educational Public Webinar: Treasurer Pieciak will host a session for businesses and nonprofits on Know Your Rights (KYR) with ICE and other FAQs next Thursday, February 6 online.
Continuing Legal Education (CLE): VAAP and the Vermont Bar Association will host an upcoming event for employment law attorneys and other legal professionals date TBD.
Check our website calendar for additional local events and national webinars. Many are free!
Closing Remarks:
I am heartbroken by what is happening to our immigrant communities and to the queer and trans communities of which I am a part. Vermont, I love you. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere.
