Partnering with immigration law firm Green and Spiegel, the University will facilitate legal support for non-U.S. citizen students, faculty and staff members traveling internationally for “essential, Brown-related” purposes, University administrators shared in a May 20 Today@Brown announcement.
The University has also established an emergency fund to support international faculty and staff members facing legal and personal expenses due to “unexpected, unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances connected to their visa status,” wrote Provost Francis Doyle and Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Sarah Latham in the Tuesday announcement.
“Brown’s new support resources aim to provide timely, practical assistance during moments of challenge or uncertainty,” the announcement reads.
The initiatives come amid the Trump administration’s targeting of international students and faculty nationwide. In April, at least one Brown student and a “small number” of recent graduates had their visas revoked, The Herald previously reported. Their records were reinstated later that month after legal pushback prompted the Department of Justice to reverse student visa revocations issued under the administration.
Options for legal support include general consultations with an attorney about immigration concerns and “enrollment in an attorney accessibility program, which allows Green and Spiegel to act on a traveler’s behalf and work toward a resolution if challenges arise during re-entry into the U.S.,” the announcement reads. The service will be available through Sept. 1.
The International Faculty and Staff Emergency Fund offers up to $2,000 in one-time emergency funding for faculty and staff. All non-U.S. citizen, non-student Brown employees are eligible to apply for funding through a confidential application that will remain open until Dec. 12, 2025.
On March 14, Assistant Professor of Medicine Rasha Alawieh was deported to Lebanon despite holding a valid H-1B visa, following her attendance at the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The day before her deportation, Alawieh was held at the Boston Logan International Airport after attempting to reenter the United States.
Although the fund is not open to students, the announcement pointed to “parallel mechanisms” such as scheduling advising appointments with the International Advising team and Financial Advising team and applying for income-eligible emergency funding through the E-Gap program. For graduate students, the announcement pointed to the Assistance Fund for International Students.
Elena Jiang is a University News Editor from Shanghai, China concentrating in English Nonfiction and International & Public Affairs.
