Good Shepherd Immigration Justice Team

Our Immigration Justice Team began in 2019, as an outgrowth of Good Shepherd’s Social Action Ministries.  We have been active in many ways, including helping sponsor a conference on Responding to the Humanitarian Crisis at Our Borders; organizing a series of community forums on Immigration with two other local congregations; promoting education, action, and advocacy opportunities through the ELCA and LIRS (Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service), and organizing a week-long border trip to Arizona.

In particular, Good Shepherd is very active in the Chittenden Asylum Seekers Assistance Network (CASAN), a volunteer group of interfaith individuals and people of good will in Chittenden County that supports people in our area who are in the lengthy legal process of seeking asylum.  Asylum seekers, unlike refugees, are not allowed to receive many kinds of government assistance, nor are they are allowed to work until reaching a certain point in the application process. 

In response to an initial request for help for a mother and child, CASAN formed as a Vermont non-profit in the fall of 2019 in order to fully support this first family for food, all living expenses, and housing until the family was able to be more financially independent. 

Our motto has been “Welcoming People – One Family at a Time”, and in addition to fully sponsoring several other families, we have helped numerous other asylum-seeking households in various ways: to find housing, secure furnishings for an apartment, connect with resources and make referrals, advocate for them in difficult situations, and to serve as temporary sponsor for a family coming from the southern border until a long-term host group was put in place. 

Good Shepherd members are on the CASAN board and on family teams that work directly with people seeking asylum.  We welcome others to participate in this circle of welcome and support – it is a vital and rewarding ministry, as we make real, tangible differences in the lives of people seeking to begin a new, safe life in our community. 

Our group is part of a statewide network with six similar groups in order to better assist asylum seekers.  We also have representation on a Canadian-US cross border network.

CASAN has 501c3 tax exempt status, and financial support at any level is gratefully received and appreciated. 

More information about CASAN on their Facebook page or www.casanvermont.org