July/August 2024

Seeking Volunteers and Welcoming Clients for Fall Intake and Legal Help Clinics

View this email in your browser VAAP NEWSLETTER JULY & AUGUST 2024 UPDATES FROM OUR TEAM Greetings, friends of Vermont Asylum Assistance Project! We have lots to celebrate from summer and as much to forecast for fall, and we owe it all to our amazing community partners. After an outrageously productive summer, we bid farewell to our incredible inaugural summer intern class. Julia, Phebe, Jake, Isaiah: THANK YOU for making all of this summer's services, outreach, and advocacy possible for Vermont's immigrant communities.  We also partnered with Downs Rachlin Martin to deliver our first firm-based asylum filing clinic. To the DRM attorneys, support staff, and summer associates who volunteered a summer Friday to serve 19 asylum seekers with VAAP's support: THANK YOU for making these asylum seekers 150% more likely to prevail in their claims with just one day of volunteer service. We also welcomed two fantastic new directors to our board, as well as Vermont's first ever Immigrant Justice Corps Fellows to our staff. Trudy, Aisa, Cam, Emma: THANK YOU for joining the VAAP team and for all you do to advance migrant justice! This fall, we are piloting "Walk-in Wednesdays" when we'll dedicate one Wednesday per month to receiving new intake requests by phone, email, social media, and in person. We will also dedicate one additional Wednesday per month to scheduling eligible asylum seekers for an appointment with a volunteer advocate to fill out an initial asylum application for filing. We'll continue to host monthly virtual case rounds for any and all interested immigration practitioners, and are available to deliver trainings and explore partnerships on request. Read on for more! Community Outreach   On July 13th, VAAP was fortunate to participate in the annual Migrant Justice Torneo de Fútbol, a vibrant community event that brings together migrant workers and their families for a day of soccer, solidarity, good food, and celebration. The event, held at Leddy Park, Burlington was not just about soccer—it was a chance to strengthen ties within the community, build new relationships, and reaffirm our commitment to standing with Vermont's migrant population. Our team had the opportunity to connect with attendees, share information about our services, and support the efforts of Migrant Justice in advocating for the rights of migrant workers. We set up a makeshift booth alongside Pinetree Legal Assistance's Farmworker Unit where we provided resources on asylum assistance, legal support, and community programs available to migrants in the state. A big shout out to Migrant Justice for organizing such an impactful event and look forward to continued collaboration in the future. Echoing thanks to Vermont Afghan Alliance for welcoming VAAP to its panel of legal rights educators at their highly successful inaugural know your rights training on July 12th. We invite all community partners to please keep VAAP in mind for future similar community outreach and education opportunities! Inaugural Firm-Based Clinic at Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC   On July 26th, VAAP partnered with Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC to deliver our first firm-based attorney-for-a-day clinic to outrageous results. Thanks to intrepid DRM organizers, advocates, and volunteers, we were able to help nine families comprising 19 individuals to prepare and file their asylum applications in immigration court. VAAP provided training, case screening, file preparation, and logistics and supervision support on the day. The DRM team brought their professionalism and dedication, making sure each family got the support they needed to set their asylum claims up for success. We’re incredibly grateful for DRM's willingness to pilot a new service model with us, and look forward to future work with them and, hopefully, other local firms to deliver similarly impactful attorney-for-the-day events. NEW FACES             Emma and Cam are VT's First Immigrant Justice Corps Legal Fellows!   We’re thrilled to announce first-for-Vermont partnership with the nationally competitive Immigrant Justice Corps (IJC), and extend a heartfelt welcome to legal advocates Emma Matters-Wood and Cameron Briggs Ramos. Emma and Cam will focus on representing unaccompanied minors in removal proceedings, given the special barriers this population faces to asserting and prevailing in their legal claims. Their arrival marks a new chapter in VAAP's mission as we expand into full-scope immigration legal representation for the first time. We look forward to celebrating their impactful work with Vermont's youngest humanitarian status seekers. Welcome, Emma Matters-Wood and Cameron Briggs Ramos!       Trudy and Aisa Joined the VAAP Board!   We’re also thrilled to welcome Gertrude "Trudy" Namubiru and Aisatou "Aisa" Diallo to our board of directors. Gertrude is a mother who immigrated to the USA in 2018 and settled in Vermont. With the help of law student clinicians at Vermont Law and Graduate School, the Chittenden Asylum Seekers Assistance Network (CASAN), and the community, her case was approved by a Boston Immigration Court Judge in  2022 amidst  so many challenges. As a highly trained finance professional, she worked with the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) for several years before joining the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, called to both nonprofits' missions of helping improve the lives of local community members. Gertrude loves Vermont and to her, this is a home away from home. Aisa is a licensed attorney practicing in New York and Georgia. As a principal of Diallo Law, she actualizes her deep-seated passion for immigration law representing individuals held in detention facilities and those facing immigration detainers across the United States. Raised in The Bronx by Guinean parents, she witnessed firsthand the challenges faced by immigrant communities, which fueled her determination to make a difference in this field. Thank you, Trudy and Aisa, for bringing your passion and expertise to VAAP's leadership team! FACT CHECK Vermont Takes the Stage in National Border Discourse   Election season and "border brain" have put a media spotlight on immigration issues in Vermont. Like many of our partners, VAAP hopes to capitalize on this opportunity to build awareness of Vermont's longtime barriers to migrant justice and leverage awareness for systems change. For example, we recently sat down with NBC5 In Depth and Ali's Corner on Town Meeting TV to challenge the notion that immigration injustice is a new issue. On NBC5 In Depth, summer legal intern Isaiah Gonzales spoke passionately about the immense challenges individuals face while navigating the complex asylum process, including lengthy wait times, legal complexity, and language barriers. Together with executive director Jill Martin Diaz, he highlighted how increased investment in border militarization and enforcement distracts from the overwhelming, preexisting need for safer border processing and speedier adjudications. There are already 1.6 million asylum seekers living in limbo waiting for their opportunity to be heard. Rather than drawing increased investment in access to counsel and opportunities to be heard, "border brain" instead piles onto the backlog and exacerbates fear and danger in our immigrant communities. As a descendant of immigrants, Isaiah expressed how much it meant to him to provide culturally relevant, language accessible representation to VAAP's clients. He emphasized that our work aims to “ensure that those fleeing persecution have access to fair and timely legal processes, ultimately helping them find safety and build new lives in the United States.”   Despite the false dichotomy between the “right" pathways and the so-called "illegal" pathways to presence in the United States, VAAP stresses what Congress makes clear in INA § 208: there is no wrong way to seek asylum. VAAP is closely monitoring the Biden Administration's rapidly evolving changes to border processing and parole-in-place, and will be publishing analysis and sharing resources on our blog in the coming months.  PARTNER SPOTLIGHT Outgoing Vermont Poverty Law Fellow Publishes a Roadmap for VAAP VAAP also bid farewell to the incredible Vermont Poverty Law Fellow 2022-24, Maya Tsukazaki, Esq., who completed her immigration-focused fellowship at Vermont Law and Graduate School's Center for Justice Reform Clinic last month. As a parting gift, Maya published a final report outlining her powerful vision for the future of immigration justice in Vermont. Her recommendations include joining the national movement toward universal representation; streamlining immigration intake processes statewide; supporting volunteer networks with state-funded services; and pursuing legislative reforms to strengthen legal protections for noncitizens. We thank Maya for her trailblazing work and look forward to carrying her vision forward. INTRODUCING: Connecting Cultures' Corner   We’re excited to begin sharing VAAP newsletter and blog space with our multidisciplinary partners at Connecting Cultures, with whom VAAP collaborates closely to provide culturally relevant and trauma-informed asylum seeker resettlement services. This round of Connecting Cultures' Corner, we spotlight: Videos by the Vermont Language Justice Project about free meals, voting, flood relief, and more. A country profile on Nepal. A clinician profile of Richard Norton. Upcoming trainings and events, and more! We are grateful to Connecting Cultures (formally known as New England Survivors of Torture and Trauma or NESTT) for paving the way for VAAP to exist and supporting us with funding to deliver legal services and community education. Check out our blog to learn more! SAVE THESE DATES ATTENTION, potential clients and potential volunteers: intake is OPEN! On select Wednesdays this fall, VAAP will mobilize volunteer advocates to help us respond to new requests for legal help and to assist asylum seekers with preparing and filing their initial application forms.  Potential clients with immigration legal questions can contact us between the hours of 11am and 5:30pm on select Wednesdays by calling, texting, emailing, WhatsApp, or social media messaging - or by visiting us in person in at our Burlington Office. During Walk-In Wednesday events we will speak to potential clients on a first come, first served basis. As VAAP continues to work on generating resources to professionalize our office administration, note that Walk-in Wednesdays will be the only way to request VAAP's legal help this fall. We are unfortunately unable to respond to requests at other times. Help us spread the word! Potential volunteers who are interested in getting involved, thank you! We seek volunteer lawyers and legal advocates who are willing to complete about 1.5 hours of virtual training followed by at least one 3-hour shift during any upcoming intake or application assistance events. Shifts can be completed virtually or in person, with a preference for in person. Please check out these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to learn more, request access to our insiders-only resource SharePoint to familiarize yourself with asylum law and practice, and express your no-obligation interest in volunteering today.  TL;DR: Save these dates! Wednesday, September 11: Walk-In Wednesday intake day, as above. **Legal volunteers needed! Tuesday, September 24: VAAP hosts virtual immigration case rounds for VT lawyers and legal workers.  Wednesday, September 25: Appointment-only asylum application filing clinic. **Legal volunteers needed! Friday, September 27: VAAP presents a CLE in person at the Vermont Bar Association's annual meeting at the Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee, VT. Wednesday, October 2: Walk-In Wednesday. As above. **Legal volunteers needed! Wednesday, October 16: Appointment-only asylum application filing clinic. **Legal volunteers needed! Tuesday, October 29: VAAP hosts virtual immigration case rounds for VT lawyers and legal workers.  Wednesday, November 6: Walk-In Wednesday. As above. **Legal volunteers needed! Wednesday, November 20: Appointment-only asylum application filing clinic. **Legal volunteers needed! Tuesday, November 26: VAAP hosts immigration case rounds for VT lawyers and legal workers.  Wednesday, December 4: Walk-In Wednesday. As above. **Legal volunteers needed! Wednesday, December 18: Appointment-only asylum application filing clinic. **Legal volunteers needed! We'll share rolling updates through our blog, calendar, newsletters, and social media. Follow along and encourage potential clients and partners to do the same. You can also contact VAAP to express your no-obligation interest in volunteering. VOLUNTEERING Once again, for the folks sitting in the back: potential volunteers who are interested in getting involved, THANK YOU! VAAP seeks volunteer lawyers and legal workers who are willing to complete about 1.5 hours of virtual training followed by at least one 3-hour virtual or in person shift during any upcoming intake or application assistance events.                    These discreet volunteer shifts are a great opportunity to learn or fine-tune asylum law and practice skills and to help us advance VAAP’s mission. We’ll coordinate all logistics and provide you with training, resources, interpreters, supervision, practice insurance, and snacks! No experience or multilingual language skills necessary - just a willingness to learn and meet potential clients where they are at! Contact us to express your no-obligation interest and learn more.                             Whether you're completing your first-year attorney mentorship licensing requirements, planning your retirement projects, interested in skilling up, or interested in giving back, VAAP is here for you! THANK YOU FROM OUR TEAM   From our humble beginnings as a volunteer-led effort to today's paid staff of four, the VAAP staff and VAAP board extend our heartfelt thanks for making our mission a reality! 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 © 2023, 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.