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by Theresa Golub, for the Community News Service
As Donald Trump prepares to take office as president of the U.S., the Central Vermont Refugee Action Network (CVRAN) is preparing to respond to whatever happens next.
“It is important to let people know that we are looking out for each other,” said Rachel Cogbill, who leads the organization. “We have to do things in a united way and keep each other informed.”
During his previous presidency, the Trump administration ushered in some of the most restrictive immigration policies in decades, including strict border controls, the Muslim ban, and family separation policy. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch, and the National Immigrant Justice Center, one result of these policies is that detention centers grew in number and size and were privatized. Funding was slashed for groups helping migrants, and the number of people working for these organizations decreased significantly.
Based on Trump’s previous record, Cogbill said she believes significantly fewer immigrants will be allowed into the country. She said the justice and asylum process will be disrupted, and more undocumented and temporary immigrants will be deported.
Increased deportations will affect more than just the families themselves, she said. In Vermont, there will be fewer workers on dairy farms as well as industries such as construction, restaurant, and hotel work.
Despite the shift in the political climate, Cogbill said CVRAN is prepared to continue serving and protecting the refugee population. Their efforts include keeping track of updates and information through trusted sources such as the Vermont Asylum Assistance Program and sharing that information with clients.
The nonprofit organization is also collaborating with lawyers to understand the legal intricacies of each person they are working with to ensure they are in a secure position. In addition, CVRAN is communicating with and helping other immigration organizations to train people how to respond to a stop and other issues they may face.
By hosting community and individual meetings, the CVRAN listens to fears and concerns held by those they serve, Cogbill said.
The Central Vermont Refugee Action Network was founded in 2015, before the first Trump presidency, due to concerns with how people were being separated and mistreated at the border, says Kathie O’Connor, vice president of the organization.
The network now has more than 1,000 donors, as well as 190 volunteers working to provide support for refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers across central Vermont. The organization has helped more than 20 people this year who have fled from persecution and adversity in countries including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Tunisia, Cameroon, Russia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, Bhutan, Nepal, and Uganda.
The network uses a gradual approach integrating these refugees into the community. It provides “wrap-around” services that include housing, driving lessons, English language lessons, education, and career support. As its clients achieve financial and social stability, often based on those services, CVRAN can ramp down its offerings. This allows resources to go to others, and for its clients to achieve self-sufficiency, said Cogbill.
Ghazi Jendoubi, who hails from Tunis, has been a CVRAN client and is now a CVRAN graduate. He says being in Vermont and connecting with the community has inspired him to give back. Jendoubi now works with the CVRAN board of directors, helping other refugees and asylum seekers get the same support he did.
“I know first hand what the refugees and asylum seekers truly need. They need to feel connected and woven into the fabric of the community and truly be a part of it, “ Jendoubi said. He is not the only person to find community through CVRAN. For two years, among its many clients, CVRAN has been working with an Afghan family of nine.
As a result of CVRAN’s services, the family has been able to integrate into the community. They are living in a home, paying rent. Their children play soccer and baseball and are teaching their parents English, said Cogbill and O’Connor.
Despite the uncertainties, Cogbill and O’Connor say the refugees and asylum seekers have already faced so many difficulties, and yet their experiences demonstrate both determination and success.
“We learn so much from them,” says O’Connor. “They find joy in the face of difficulties.”
“This is a welcoming community and people find ways of helping,” Cogbill said. “We can’t change the world, but we can do our part.”
Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, on assignment for The Bridge.
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Categories: Vermonters Making A Difference
Maybe some of these organizations should be more focused on addressing the issue of people who contribute to society and still have to flee the oppression of high taxes in Vermont. The good people of the US have provided more of our blood and treasure per capita than any other country for relieving oppression in foreign hellholes, and we no longer have much enthusiasm for being the flophouse for the third world when they fail to get their act together. After years of a wide open border letting in all manner of dangerous criminals, deadly drugs and infectious diseases like TB, it’s time we invoke a merit-based immigration system and make no apologies about it.
That presupposes that the agendas which they state are their genuine agendas.
If they are here legally through a refugee or asylum program, then they have nothing to worry about. It appears that the program is harboring Illegals.
So there seems to be a play on words as most of these organizations try as they may, we have legal immigrants, asylum seekers ( those who can prove it ) and then we have illegal aliens ( criminals ) and they should be deported. and the NGOs that are trying to subvert the new administration policies, need to be held accountable, and they will regret your actions, hey Tom Homan your welcome to come to Vermont.
I have worked with people from Korea, Vietnam, and Japan, and have all come to this country the correct way, through the ” burdensome and expensive ” process of the US ” Immigration system ” and the millions of border jumpers are a slap in the face to those that followed our laws and process. because they believe in America and it’s rule of law.
For years our elected officials have stated our immigration system is broken, but never lifted a finger to fix it with all the technology it should be simple, close the border down until the process is fixed and fair !!
Aiding and abetting criminal conduct is a felony. I understand grifters have to grift. Yet, criminal conduct performing the grift will justify more charges and stiffer, higher penalties. Such as, but not limited to, conspiracy to commit fraud, profiteering from illegal conduct, i.e. human and drug trafficking (asset and property seizure,) collusion, coercion, sexual assaults, accomplices to murders, aiding and abetting kidnapping and holding persons hostage, prostitution and exploitation of minors, and copious amounts of other human rights violations, civil and criminal.
Gaslight away – it does not change the letter of law one iota. All is needed is a person of ethical, moral conscience to apply and prosecute the law as written. If the law is to be applied as written, many people will be scooped up and charged. Enough is enough breaking the law with impunity just because other criminals are protecting their own criminal conduct.
No one – that does mean – NO ONE – is above the law! It is high time we make that a fact without an asterik. Ignorance is not a defense, it is only a smoke screen to commit crimes against humanity – all of humanity.
Folks with no legal status should be sent back to the county they came from period!!
I support legal immigrants period!!
It would be tragic if many people were denied entry due to poverty, etc. Unfortunately, history and life involve many such paradoxes. It would be even more tragic if this country were overrun and no one at all could come here.
Sorry, “network” – the one thing you do NOT have and shall NEVER have is the wherewithal to break the Rule of Law! If you are shielding illegals – you will be imprisoned with them as per Federal Law!!!!!!!
Follow the money…if our tax dollars dried up the NGOS would disappear.
At least the foreigners who do steady work for local companies do the thing a lot of Americans don’t and won’t do… go to work, get paid, buy stuff, leave everybody alone. They probably get free housing, but so do a lot of Americans.
I don’t like the open border infiltration. But that could be mitigated by way of border security, defending citizens’ individual self-protection of their person and property, and upholding law enforcement. We always had refugee programs. It’s these national protections being ignored by politicians that screws it all up.
“ Increased deportations will affect more than just the families themselves, she said. In Vermont, there will be fewer workers on dairy farms as well as industries such as construction, restaurant, and hotel work. “
I DON’T CARE! Enough of this, it’s time for Congress to address a way to expedite a streamlined process for bringing in desirable immigrants and also to NOT allow undesirables to even cross the border at all. Why is it my problem that people who are here illegally are going to be subject to the law? Fix the system, don’t pretend it doesn’t exist.