Central Vermont Refugee Action Network

02/26/2025

MARCH IS ART-IN-YOUR-INBOX MONTH!
Let daily artful surprises rouse you from the March doldrums.
Sponsor one or more of these creative people by donating in their name to CVRAN, and be delighted by the work they send your way!

02/25/2025

It's a milestone day for CVRAN! Our first Executive Director started today! Get to know Ali Zenie, our new Director, on our website.
https://cvran.org/2025/02/24/welcome-to-our-new-executive-director-ali-zenie/

Ali is joining us at a time of fear and hope among refugees, immigrants, and their supporters. Rachel Cogbill shares how this all affects CVRAN and the families we support - read her President's Message here: https://cvran.org/2025/02/24/fear-and-hope/

Reporters, interviewers all are asking: what is the impact of budget cuts and policy changes on Vermonters, specifically on Vermont organizations working with immigrants? The answer is becoming increasingly clear. It is terrible for everyone. Just how terrible is it for us, for CVRAN?

02/24/2025

Many people believe that the U.S. has a special obligations to the Afghans who assisted the U.S. military in Afghanistan. They see the denial of this funding as breaking a solemn trust. CVRAN is welcoming Afghan families along with those from several other countries.

“I think the existence of this organization is a must for this community, and that’s why we are trying our best to keep running and to maintain our existence here in Vermont,” one caseworker said.

02/22/2025

Uphill Pottery is one of many artists who are taking part in the March Arts Marathon. To find daily art in your in-box, sponsor them and other creative people who support the CVRAN mission.

Uphill Pottery March Arts Marathon Read About this Participant and the Marathon Below this Form Donation Form For Online Donations please fill out the form below. To Donate to Multiple Participants at Once Click Here. If you prefer to Pay by Check, please Click Here. To Find Other Participants Click...

02/22/2025

See what the Brattleboro Reformer has to say about Vermont housing for immigrants:

If you have lived in Vermont at any point since COVID-19 broke out in the early months of 2020, you are probably familiar with the state’s ongoing housing issues. Apartments

02/17/2025

Here are two Vermont towns where non-citizens are allowed to vote on local matters.

A Chittenden County Superior Court judge agreed to dismiss the case, pointing to a similar challenge in Montpelier in which the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that the citizenship requirement applies only to statewide elections.

02/15/2025

A family of newcomers misses a turn on I-89 and ends up in detention.

Attorneys and advocacy organizations are navigating an increase in federal immigration arrests — and rampant rumors and misinformation.

02/14/2025

Thank you, WCAX, for keeping us posted.

Could Vermont face retaliation from the Trump administration for the way the state treats immigrants?

02/14/2025

Here's a step you can take today!

PLEASE CALL YOUR REPS IN CONGRESS: NO ATTACKS ON SANCTUARY CITIES

Right now, Congress is considering a bill that would cut critical federal funds to communities in more than two dozen states deemed "sanctuaries." If enacted, this bill would create chaos and functionally blackmail our cities and states into aiding Trump's cruel plans for mass deportations – or lose funding for our schools, hospitals, transportation, and even housing.

We can't let this bill pass – which is why we're calling on Congress to act now. Tell your representatives to vote no on H.R. 32, the Defund Our Communities Act.

Please call your reps in Congress! Just text SANCTUARY to 82623 & ACLU’s People Power will take it from there to help connect you.

02/12/2025

Update! Here's one small step you can take. CVRAN will be grateful if you take the time to contact your state representatives about this bill---ask them for any further information, and ask them to support it with their vote.

Sen. Becca White, D-Windsor, said a consequential encounter at an immigration checkpoint helped inspire the legislation.

02/10/2025

📸✨ I Am Vermont Too: Photo/Story Project Returns to the Vermont Statehouse! ✨📸

The Root Social Justice Center’s I Am Vermont Too project will be exhibited at the Vermont Statehouse from February 4 – March 2, 2025! Through photographs and personal stories, the project raises awareness about the impact of racial microaggressions on BIPOC and creates a space for BIPOC to share their lived experiences. It also encourages majority-white communities to reflect on their biases and behaviors, many of whom may be unaware of their role in perpetuating racial stereotypes.

This marks the fourth time the exhibit has been featured at the Statehouse, following previous showings in 2017, 2019, and 2022. Since its launch in 2014, inspired by the I Too, Am Harvard initiative, I Am Vermont Too has traveled across the state, bringing visibility to BIPOC communities at venues like the Bennington Museum, Vermont State University Castleton Bank Gallery, and the Richard Kemp Center in Burlington. Later this year, it will also be featured at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center.

📍 Where: Vermont Statehouse, 115 State St., Montpelier
📅 When: February 4 – March 2, 2025

💬 Project coordinator Sha’an Mouliert shares: “The response from many who see the photos is, ‘I didn’t know.’ White folks didn’t know that BIPOC experienced microaggressions. BIPOC didn’t know others felt the way they do.”

Join us in witnessing and amplifying these important stories.

Learn more about I Am Vermont Too:
🔗 www.therootsjc.org/i-am-vt-too
📩 [email protected]

02/08/2025

We are sad beyond belief that this important Vermont program is losing its funding.

Vermont Afghan Alliance vows to stand with Afghans concerned about their future in the state.

02/08/2025

The partnership comes after the town of Colchester issued violations against the company for housing company workers in “grossly hazardous and unsafe” spaces.

02/02/2025

Knowledge is power, and here's a chance to find out about the challenges to come and how to skillfully navigate them.

What do the new federal actions mean for your business or non-profit? Does your team know their rights and obligations should ICE come to your place of work?

Join an expert panel of Vermont and national leaders to get your questions answered. This webinar is offered as a partnership of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, and Vermont State Treasurer Mike Pieciak’s Task Force on the Federal Transition.

Register now: https://loom.ly/w1Takk0

Panelists:

- Sue Minter, past Executive Director, Capstone Community Action, and former VTrans Secretary, State Representative, and State Director of Recovery after Tropical Storm Irene
- Jill Martin-Diaz, Executive Director, Vermont Asylum Assistance Project
- Kelli Deuhning or Eileen Lohmann, Bal Immigration Law Firm
- Nicole Killoran, Vermont Law and Graduate School
- Mike Webster, of Africans Living in Vermont (AALV.Inc.)
- Jonathan Rose, Vermont Attorney General's Office

Register to receive the link to the webinar and the recording. All are welcome!

01/31/2025

Anyone who is aware of ICE activity here in Vermont can help by adding to this state-wide data base:
https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=LLZtElkH_UeKdQ1_V62dRJRom8BGPY9Fq5Gusji_Bw9UNDNJUzRUT0VNSTk4M0tGV09LU0xRWDBUNy4u&route=shorturl

“We're now seeing — in the last couple of weeks, already — a significant rise in Immigration and Customs Enforcement being out in the field,” one attorney said.

01/30/2025

A conversation about the special situation of Afghans in, or on their way to, Vermont.

Last week, the Trump administration halted refugee admissions, stopped R&P payments, and suspended nearly all foreign aid.

01/27/2025

Could You Be a Host???

Even though Trump has closed the US borders to new refugees and asylum seekers, there is still a great need for support of asylum seekers who are already in the country legally, waiting as their asylum cases wind their way through the court system. CVRAN is stepping up to help these individuals and families. The greatest need is housing.

Would you consider hosting an individual or a mother with a child in your home? Do you have an adjoining apartment that could accommodate a family? CVRAN takes on all aspects of support: financial, medical, legal, educational, social. As host, you would provide a warm welcome to VT, a safe place to begin.

If this might interest you, please visit the hosting page on the CVRAN website: https://cvran.org/hosting-an-asylum-seeker-through-cvran/ And then contact us to set up a time for a conversation to explore the possibility.

Hosting An Asylum Seeker Through CVRAN Image by Luana Azevedo on Unsplash.com.   To welcome asylum seekers, CVRAN needs housing! Living with a host family is the best way for asylum seekers to begin their lives in central Vermont. The host family offers a safe place to live, friendship, and an intr...