State leaders Thursday announced the launch of a legal defense fund for noncitizen Vermonters targeted for removal proceedings by federal immigration authorities.
The Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund aims to raise $1 million for the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project, a Burlington-based nonprofit that has represented more than 300 people in immigration proceedings over the past year.
Jill Martin Diaz, an immigration attorney who serves as executive director of VAAP, said the money will be used to hire paralegals and staff, train pro bono lawyers, and assist other Vermont nonprofits that provide immigration legal services.
“The demand is outpacing us,” Martin Diaz said at a press conference in the Statehouse on Thursday. “As a small startup, we need help. The current system is overwhelmed.”
The fund comes in response to a slew of high-profile arrests in Vermont. Late last month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents detained eight migrant dairy workers at a farm in Berkshire, three of whom were deported to Mexico this week.
Also last month, the families of two Nicaraguan students at Champlain Valley Union High School self-deported after being ordered to leave the country as a result of an executive order that terminated their parolee status.
Others can look at Vermont and learn from Vermont and learn from its people. … The message is don’t give up on justice.Mohsen Mahdawi
And in mid-April, Mohsen Mahdawi, a permanent legal resident who lives in White River Junction, was arrested and detained by masked federal agents for his role in the pro-Palestinian protest movement at Columbia University, where he’s a student.
Mahdawi, who was released from federal custody on the order of a federal judge in Vermont last week, spoke at Thursday’s press conference. He said the new fund will serve as an “exemplar” for other states looking to come to the aid of detained immigrants.
“This is what I call love and care. This is what I call humanity and justice. This is what I call the teachings of Jesus, who would feed the hungry, who would shelter the homeless, and who would provide support to illegal immigrants,” Mahdawi said. “Others can look at Vermont and learn from Vermont and learn from its people. … The message is don’t give up on justice.”
State Treasurer Mike Pieciak is among the elected officials and philanthropic leaders who helped create the Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund, which will be administered by the United Way of Northwest Vermont.
Over the past four months, I’ve heard from hundreds and hundreds of Vermonters. And the same question comes up again and again: What can I do? Today, we have a clear answer.State Treasurer Mike Pieciak
“Over the past four months I’ve heard from hundreds and hundreds of Vermonters. And the same question comes up again and again: What can I do?” Pieciak said. “Today, we have a clear answer. Get involved in this effort. Make a donation.”
Grace Oedel, executive director of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, said immigrant workers play a key role in the state’s agriculture sector. A recent survey by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture found that more than 90% of Vermont farms rely on immigrant workers. The state’s dairy industry alone employs between 750 and 850 migrant workers, according to the agency.
“These are folks who moved here for a better life, to work hard, to earn money for their families and keep us all fed,” Oedel said. “Instead of being celebrated and welcomed, we’ve seen these families ripped apart, with young children left in the state while their parents are ripped away from them.”
Jesse Bridges, CEO of the United Way of Northwest Vermont, said a community advisory committee will be responsible for disbursing money raised by the fund. He said the goal is to increase and then maintain capacity needed to effectively defend noncitizens in immigration proceedings.
Bridges said the Immigration Legal Defense Fund is modeled after similar targeted fundraising campaigns during the coronavirus pandemic and after the 2023 floods.
“Now, we’re all stepping up again, this time to defend families, to protect justice, to make sure that Vermont lives up to its values,” Bridges said.
