New Vermont Immigration Legal Services Reveal Gaps in National Security and Sovereignty
A new immigration legal services partnership in Vermont highlights the state’s unpreparedness for escalating federal immigration enforcement, raising critical questions about national sovereignty, community safety, and law enforcement priorities.
In southern and central Vermont, a new partnership between Vermont Legal Aid and the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project aims to expand immigration legal services. But beneath this well-intentioned initiative lies a troubling reality: the federal government’s failure to secure borders and enforce immigration laws effectively is placing undue burdens on local communities and legal resources.
Why Is Vermont Playing Catch-Up on Immigration Enforcement?
The Immigration Community Lawyering Initiative marks Vermont Legal Aid’s first formal immigration law practice in nearly 60 years, with two attorneys deployed to Rutland and Springfield. While advocates hail this as a step forward for immigrant support, it raises urgent questions: How did Vermont become so underprepared for increased U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions? Why is the state’s legal infrastructure “out of sync” with its proclaimed values when it comes to enforcing national sovereignty?
This gap predates even the Trump administration but has only been exacerbated by lax enforcement policies that invite more illegal crossings. The initiative acknowledges that without robust counsel, immigrants are vulnerable to detention or deportation. Yet shouldn’t our priority be securing our nation’s borders first—before channeling scarce taxpayer funds into downstream legal defense for those who have broken our laws?
Legal Services Cannot Substitute for Sovereignty or Secure Borders
The dire accounts from local leaders like Jill Martin Diaz reveal a system stretched beyond capacity. Southern and central Vermont communities suffer most due to concentrated resources elsewhere, leaving residents stranded legally and exposed to potential exploitation.
Attorney Devanne O’Brien emphasizes the stakes: inadequate representation can lead to devastating removals. But this underscores an uncomfortable truth—our immigration system is overwhelmed because Washington refuses to prioritize American families’ security over unchecked migration.
From Brattleboro to Rutland, activists highlight how difficult asylum applications are without lawyers. Yet these challenges are symptoms of deeper failures—a porous border policy that compromises national security and strains communities nationwide.
While expanding legal aid may provide temporary relief for individuals, it risks normalizing a broken system that incentivizes illegal entry rather than upholding rule of law and respect for American sovereignty.
How long will policymakers allow these band-aid solutions while ignoring root causes? For hardworking Americans already burdened by inflation and economic uncertainty, diverting resources into reactive legal defenses instead of proactive border security is not just inefficient—it’s irresponsible.
This case from Vermont serves as a microcosm of a broader crisis demanding common-sense reforms aligned with America First principles: secure borders, respect for national law, and prioritization of citizens’ safety before accommodating unchecked migration.