Six Vermont organizations, affiliated in a regional effort to support people seeking asy-lum in the U.S., are partnering for a Giving Tuesday fundraiser, on Tuesday, Dec. 1.

People who seek asylum in the United States have fled persecution and violence in their countries of birth, only to encounter the same in U.S. detention facilities. Under policies of the federal administration, families have been separated, children have been kept in cages, and it has become more and more difficult for families and individuals to pursue their legal rights to asy-lum, forcing them into longer and longer waiting periods before being permitted to earn a living.

Community organizations across the state of Vermont are working to empty ICE deten-tion centers one family at a time. The organizations in this coalition include the Community Asy-lum Seekers Project, Brattleboro; Bridge to Rutland, Rutland; Randolph Area Asylum Seekers Support, Randolph; Chittenden Asylum Seekers Assistance Network, Burlington; the Central VTRefugee Action Network - Asylum Seeker Assistance Network, Montpelier; and Northeast King-dom Asylum Seekers Assistance Network, St Johnsbury.

As we work to offer asylum-seekers a safe, peaceful place to live, the arrival of these newVermonters enriches our community life.

The coalition aims to raise $10,000, all of which will go directly toward helping people seeking asylum relocate to Vermont and receive the support they need as they move through the immigration courts. Currently the six groups are supporting approximately 20 asylum seekers. More will be sponsored by these groups in the coming months, following COVID-19 approved protocols.

To learn more about the coalition's work and the Giving Tuesday fundraiser, as well as ways you can help further the efforts of these groups, visit https://caspvt.org/givingtuesday or email Kate Paarlberg-Kvam at kate@caspvt.org.