Our Mission
The Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund will support and expand legal resources available to organizations that protect asylum seekers, immigrants, and marginalized people facing deportation or detention.
Your donation supports organizations able to coordinate pro bono lawyers and legal workers, leverage national best practices and expertise, and ensure that Vermonters in immigration legal proceedings have access to the representation proven to make them exponentially more likely to assert and win available legal claims.
This campaign will raise money to fund technical assistance organizations prepared to:
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Provide emergency legal representation
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Support detained immigrants and asylum seekers
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Train and coordinate pro bono lawyers
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Mobilize paralegals and intake administrators​​​
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Leverage national expertise to make sure Vermont can access the best practices in the field.
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Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund is partnering with the United Way of Northwest Vermont to manage donations.
Donations are tax-deductible.
United Way of Northwest Vermont
jesse@unitedwaynwvt.org. 802-861-7852
Our Team
Win Smith
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​Honorary Members
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A Statewide Effort for Justice
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Vermont has small group of dedicated immigration legal service providers: the Vermont Law and Graduate School, the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project, and the Association of Africans Living in Vermont, along with several independent pro bono attorneys. But addressing the growing unmet need for immigrant legal defense in Vermont depends on their capacity to grow.
Recognizing that Vermont lacks a full safety net to support its immigrant community, State Treasurer Mike Pieciak and Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale are working in their personal capacities with trusted colleagues to launch a $1,000,000 fundraising campaign to strengthen immigration legal defense in Vermont.
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The Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund, in partnership with the United Way of Northwest Vermont, aims to resource organizations providing sustained support for practicing immigration attorneys and advocates, ranging from technical assistance for pro bono lawyers to capacity-building for paralegals and intake specialists. Our mission is to ensure that every individual—regardless of where they come from—has access to the quality-assured legal support necessary to protect their rights and seek a better future.
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Legal representation makes immigrants in removal proceedings exponentially more likely to assert and prevail in their claims, and a legally stabilized immigrant workforce makes Vermont's population more likely to grow and thrive in the long term.
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Your support is vital. Every dollar you give helps provide legal defense, advocacy, and hope. Stand with us. Stand for our future. Stand for justice.
If you or someone you know needs immigration legal support, contact the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project: https://www.vaapvt.org/legal-support
Critical Challenges
Legal Representation
Vermont is critically understaffed when it comes to protecting immigrants. Right now, families facing deportation are going to court without a lawyer—because there simply aren’t enough legal defense resources to go around.
Pro Bono Training
Vermont has attorneys ready to step up and provide pro bono immigration defense—but they need training and support. With the right resources, we can turn willingness into real protection for vulnerable families.
Professional Paralegal Support
Our funds will go directly toward trained attorneys, intake staff, and paralegals—essential frontline support to help protect immigrants and ensure no one navigates the system alone.
