December 2024

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View this email in your browser VAAP NEWSLETTER December 2024 Vermont Asylum Assistance Project (VAAP) is a legal services organization that exists to provide VT immigrants and community members with access to legal knowledge and direct services; coordinate between VT service sectors, policymakers, status-seekers, and legal workers to maximize service impact; advocate for VT policies that protect immigrants’ rights at local levels; and educate and share technical assistance with VT practitioners informed by national best practices. FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR This month, Vermont Asylum Assistance Project (VAAP) joins our partners in grieving the harms of the election cycle but also in mobilizing to mitigate promised future harms as much as possible. As you'll learn below, we're curating nationally vetted resources, coordinating volunteers to meet immigrant community needs, and advocating with leaders and lawmakers for local protections. We're also educating the public to combat the spread of dangerous misinformation, and providing direct services and technical assistance to as many Vermont noncitizens as possible. Our goal is to help make sure every Vermont immigrant in need, regardless of status or manner of entry, is aware of and has equitable access to their legal rights. Please help us make this goal a reality by donating whatever money you can to our first-ever annual appeal. Every contribution, no matter the amount, alleviates our fundraising burden and keeps us focused on immigration lawyering at this pivotal moment in Vermont's immigration history. We're a small staff of four lawyers working to meet an ever-increasing demand for our immigration legal expertise, and we're doing so with no administrative, media, IT, or fundraising support. Join the fight against anti-immigrant censorship and austerity and donate to VAAP today. Remember: we have been here before and we know how to fight. Read on to learn about our expanded website, upcoming education and legal service events, and more.  Thanks for all you do, Jill Martin Diaz Donate to VAAP REQUEST LEGAL HELP In addition to our education, advocacy, and technical assistance work, VAAP offers no-cost direct legal help to Vermont immigrants who cannot afford an attorney and who are either: (1) unaccompanied children in removal proceedings; or (2) asylum seekers and others filing their initial applications for humanitarian protection; or (3) self-represented immigration applicants seeking brief advice; or (4) Afghan nationals securing or preserving immigration status. Click here to learn more and request help.    Request help WEBSITE EXPANSIONS! Absent a state-based Office of New Americans equivalent to serve as Vermont's legal information clearinghouse, VAAP is growing the scope and content of our educational website for easier reference by immigrant communities, service providers, and legal advocates alike. Visit our website at www.vaapvt.org. So far, we've bolstered our community- and attorney-facing virtual libraries and launched click-through references to the different legal and social sectors supporting VT's immigrant communities. We will continue to grow and, if needed, reorganize both resources in the time to come. Any omissions or errors were made in good faith, and we always welcome corrections or opt-outs from anyone at anytime. Our request is that you please join us in encouraging folks to visit our website as a first step for the best available information at any given time, to reduce VAAP's large call/email volume and to minimize the risk of exacerbating misinformation by circulating handouts that will quickly become stale. Our website content is available in English, Spanish, French, and Dari. Site visitors can adjust the language of any page using the translator widget at the top right corner. We aim to post a brief video tour of the website on our social media soon. Stay tuned! Access the library Between monthly newsletters, don't forget to visit our blog for the latest law, policy, and practice updates from VAAP. This month's posts included: November local immigration news roundup.  Our VT Digger commentary and our conversation with Vermont Public. November 2024 frequently asked questions (FAQs) about: temporary immigration status. immigration status and work. November 2024 talking points regarding: myth-busting misinformation and disinformation. what we know about the state of immigration today. Celebrating our November 20th virtual clinic which served 33 asylum seekers.  Our initial feedback to lawmakers regarding a proposed Office of New Americans equivalent for Vermont.  Read the blog LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES DECEMBER 2ND (TONIGHT!): Join the National Immigration Project for FREE community defender training in English and Spanish via Zoom. They'll cover what to expect from the Trump administration; knowing your rights with law enforcement including ICE; and tips for preparing your families and communities in case of arrest. Register here.  DECEMBER 14TH: Encourage noncitizen Vermonters to visit the O.N.E. Community Center for FREE legal education co-presented with the Association of Africans Living in VT and the State Refugee Office. We'll present in Spanish at 10am, and in French & Creole at 1pm. Vermont Language Justice Project will record. More in-person and virtual events in other languages coming soon. Join us!   DECEMBER 17TH: Join VAAP for judgement-free group learning in this month's rendition of our recurring Partner Q&A series. VT service providers can drop-in with general immigration-related questions for general discussion (no client-specific data, please). A great place to bring your burning questions. See you there! DECEMBER 31ST: Lawyers and legal workers representing Vermont noncitizens in immigration matters are similarly welcome to join VAAP for more judgement-free group learning at this month's Case Rounds. This is a great place to bring anonymized versions of your burning questions and build community with other advocates. Welcome! Events calendar VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES Donating money is not the only way to support VAAP's mission; the success of our legal work also relies on people generously donating their time! In particular, we seek lawyers and legal workers interested in helping an asylum seeker to file their initial application, or fielding questions at a local Know Your Rights forum. We also seek multilingual language access volunteers interested in interpreting between lawyers and clients during their case meetings. No experience necessary! Whatever your background, we'll provide you with resources to guide your work. Join our no-obligation shortlist today to keep track of upcoming volunteer opportunities and needs. In the kind words of VAAP volunteer attorney, Glennis Gold, pictured below:    "I recently retired and can’t think of a better way to use my skills and experience as an attorney than by volunteering with the intelligent, organized and energetic staff at VAAP, assisting immigrants gain legal status in the US. I heartily recommend working under the auspices of VAAP as a pro bono attorney."                              Volunteer FAQs CONNECTING CULTURES' CORNER We are excited to continue 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 welcoming and resettlement services. This round of Connecting Cultures' Corner, we feature a country profile on Somalia; a clinician spotlight; upcoming events from partner organizations; and more. We thank 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! THANK YOU FROM OUR TEAM         Board member Gertrude "Trudy" Namubiru welcomed us to share this 2022 photo of her and executive director Jill Martin Diaz, her attorney at the time, moments after Trudy  won her asylum case. In Trudy's words, "With the help of law student clinicians at Vermont Law and Graduate School, the Chittenden Asylum Seekers Assistance Network, and the community, my case was approved by a Boston Immigration Court Judge in 2022 amidst so many challenges. I love Vermont and to me, this is a home away from home." Now well on her way to permanent status, Trudy is celebrating this holiday season by reuniting with family in a third country for the first time since 2018. The impact of immigration legal interventions cannot be overstated. Thank you for making VAAP's 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.