Our Executive Director Shares This Important Update
Good Afternoon,
We hope that you and your family enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving, if you celebrated. Unfortunately, over the long weekend, the federal government used a tragic, violent, and isolated incident involving an immigrant from Afghanistan as the pretext to further restrict measures meant to ensure protections for vulnerable immigrant groups, including those coming to this country to seek asylum. While CASP strongly condemns this and all violence, we urge decision-makers to refrain from generalizing the acts of an individual to an entire group.
In addition to halting all immigration requests from Afghanistan and several additional countries, the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) has also paused the processing of affirmative asylum applications. This does not cancel asylum cases or prevent new asylum cases from being filed, but it does indefinitely freeze the process, which will negatively impact many of our asylum-seeking clients.
These policies disproportionately burden and punish vulnerable families who have already endured significant hardship and found safety in their new U.S. community. Asylum seekers often lack the financial resources, institutional power, and legal representation to navigate the rapidly shifting immigration landscape. These proposals undermine American values, as well as the fundamental rights and protections granted to anyone seeking asylum.
CASP is deeply concerned by the recent reports and is preparing as best as we can to continue to support our clients during these challenging times. We are committed to protecting the dignity and well-being of the asylum seekers we serve and urge thoughtful reconsideration of any policy that would jeopardize the right to asylum and integration into our communities.
For more information about the policy changes, please see this news article from the BBC, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdxweyy157go.amp. Additionally, you can read the USCIS policy memo that came out on 12/2/2025. https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/policy-alerts/PM-602-0192-PendingApplicationsHighRiskCountries-20251202.pdf.
You can also sign up for our quarterly newsletter for updates of our clients and continued work supporting asylum seekers in our community: https://caspvt.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=d104f71f442c2043155d2510d&id=4c6df52ca9.
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who were able to donate to CASP on Giving Tuesday. We could not do this work without you,
CASP and our clients appreciate the ongoing support that each of you provide to make southern Vermont a welcoming and safe place for all.
Sincerely,
Sharon Hall-Smith
Executive Director