New Immigration Legal Services Expand Across Vermont
Check out this new article that was Issued in VT digger by Greta Solsaa.
The article discusses a new partnership between Vermont Legal Aid and the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project has launched the immigration Community Lawyering Initiative, expanding free immigration legal service into southern and central Vermont. For the first time in nearly 60 years, Vermont Legal Aid established a formal immigration law practice and hired two community based attorneys in Rutland and Springfield to serve underserved regions. Sharon Hall-Smith, Executive Director of the Community Asylum Seekers Project in Brattleboro, shared that many clients in southern Vermont have long struggled to connect with legal services, noting that outcomes for asylum applicants greatly improve when they have legal representation.
“People’s outcomes for applying for asylum greatly improve if they have legal representation,” Hall-Smith said. “It’s very technical. It’s difficult, and having that legal representation just allows them to present their case in their best light.”
The program comes amid increased immigration enforcement by immigration and customs enforcement, alongside long standing gaps in access to legal support outside northern Vermont. Advocates emphasize that legal representation significantly improves asylum outcomes and is one of the strongest protections against detention and deportation.
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