VASA's Mutual Aid Defense Fund

The current political climate in the United States and recent changes in immigration policies have left international students at SVA feeling uneasy and worried for their continuation at the School of Visual Arts. In the Spring 2025 Semester, some international students at SVA had their legal status terminated and visas revoked. With the growing trend of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency detaining students on college campuses, the need to support our student population, both immigrant and non-immigrant students, grows. The goal of this proposal is to create a safety net for SVA’s students by providing legal support in the event that an SVA student faces detention and/or removal from the U.S.

In partnership with the International Student Office, the funds collected will be utilized to pay for an Immigration Lawyer on-retainer that will provide legal consultation for SVA students (both International and Domestic) in regards to immigration and/or Visa concerns.

VASA will host in collaboration with DEI specialized fundraising events that focus on collecting donations from the SVA community. More information on these events will be announced to the community in SVA Today.

In the event that funds collected for the lawyer on-retainer are no longer needed, all collected funds will be donated to organizations that focus on supporting immigrants in the New York City region.

SVA students looking to consult the lawyer on-retainer should email ISO to be connected directly for consultation. All information will remain private to the student, and will not be shared.

For questions about this program, please email VASA.