Brown University
Making a Difference, Together
In partnership with the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies at Brown University, SCIJ and CHRHS are empowering students to advocate for immigrant justice and social change.
How it Works
Training Program
Students enrolled at Brown University join SCIJ’s Law & Immigration Training Program during the fall semester. SCIJ’s training program engages students in gaining a broad overview of immigration law so they’re prepared to provide legal services to immigrants, learning about the history and systemic issues with US immigration, and building skills in community organizing and advocacy.
Remote Representation
After completing SCIJ’s training program, students provide remote legal assistance to asylum seekers through SCIJ’s partnerships with Innovation Law Lab and Al Otro Lado.
Direct Representation
After students have completed at least two remote cases and gained experience in intake and case development, they will work in their own communities with our partner immigration attorneys to provide direct legal representation to local asylum seekers.
Community Organizing
As students work on cases, they will develop community organizing strategies with clients and local immigrant communities to advocate for issues important to them.
Get Involved
Is immigrant justice important to you? Do you come from an immigrant background? Interested in law or politics? Join the Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice at Brown University and get trained so you can fight for immigrant justice and advocate for asylum seekers. Click below to contact us and get involved.
Learn more about SCIJ’s program at Brown
Maggie Murphy
Program Manager at the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies
“The Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies is thrilled to be partnering with SCIJ to bring this important initiative to the Brown University campus. This program exemplifies the type of impact learning that we encourage all students to engage with as they navigate their passions to promote social change.”
Meet the Team at Brown
Class of 2022
+Ariana Palomo (She/Her/Ella)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
My experiences as an immigrant in a system that works against us has made me acutely aware of the injustices within the immigration process; the ways one’s identities—something so inescapably of one’s control—can be weaponized to criminalize individuals in the eyes of society and consequently the system. The United States has been the reason for the political unrest and status quo that is forcing so many immigrants to flee their countries of origin. The country has a responsibility to immigrants after the role they have played in their displacement.
Favorite Quote
“Before coming to the United States, I knew what others know: that the cruelty of its borders was only a thin crust, and that on the other side a possible life was waiting. I understood, some time after, that once you stay here long enough, you begin to remember the place where you originally came from the way a backyard might look from a high window in the deep of winter: a skeleton of the world, a tract of abandonment, objects dead and obsolete. And once you're here, you're ready to give everything, or almost everything, to stay and play a part in the great theatre of belonging.” -- Valeria Luiselli
+Ariana Ghafouri (She/Her/Hers)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
I have been shaped my my parents' immigrant experience -- characterized by their relentless search for a safe home and suffering at the hands of a broken system. I feel it is important for me to use my knowledge to help those that come after them.
Favorite Quote
"Faites que le rêve dévore votre vie afin que la vie ne dévore pas votre rêve"
"Let the dream take over your life so that your life does not take over the dream"
-Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
+Ashley Ganesh (She/Her/Hers)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Immigrant justice and liberation is a very personal matter to me as a first-generation American. I want to do anything that I can to help people that were in my relatives’ situation and hope that one day no one will be in that situation.
Favorite Quote
“Don't look at your feet to see if you are doing it right. Just dance.” ―Anne Lamott
+Axel Martinez (He/Him/His)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Immigration justice is important to me because immigrant voices have been overlooked and silenced for far too long. It's time for us to change their perception, because if not us then who?
Favorite Quote
"Aunque la jaula sea de oro, No deja de ser prisión" - Los Tigres del Norte
+Eliana Lopez (She/Her/Hers)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Immigrant justice and liberation is very important to me as it, in a way, intertwines with my own life. I’m a first generation student, second generation American, as both of my parents are immigrants, along with a lot of my other family, aunts, uncles and cousins. With this being said, I’ve always loved seeing the “inside” of living as an immigrant in the US. I’ve seen how immigrants are oftentimes treated unfairly, unequally, and without dignity as the US has history and continues to treat the immigrant population as the nation’s problem. Immigrants face blatant racsim on an everyday basis, whether that is being racially profiled and harassed soley based off their looks or the language they speak, encountering the false propoganda and discriminatory laws that stigmatize them. No human, regardless of where they were born deserves to live in such conditions, especially in a country that claims to have “better life” opportunities for them. With the US referring to their immigrant population as a “problem”, their solution is the deportation dragnet, where immigrants are forced to live in fear of ICE and getting deported. Hundreds of thousands of immigrants have been locked away in unsafe and inhumane detention centers, where they’re separated from their loved ones, and oftentimes even denied legal help. No person deserves to be treated in such an inhumane manner especially when in pursuit for a “better life”. I believe that every human deserves to be treated with love, fairness, equality, and dignity, their immigration status should not be the deciding factor for valid treatment.
Favorite Quote
"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou
+Gabriela Paz-Soldan (She/Her/Hers)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Immigrant justice is important to me because I believe all immigrants deserve dignity, respect, and an opportunity to tell their stories.
Favorite Quote
"Darkness can not drive out darkness, only light can do that" - Martin Luther King Jr.
+Javier Niño-Sears (He/Him/His)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Immigrant justice is important to me because our country's identity has been transformatively shaped by its immigrants, including my own family members. I owe it to their sacrifices to fight for their rights and equality.
Favorite Quote
"To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived - This is to have succeeded." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
+Jenny Hu (She/Her/Hers)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Every day I hear rhetoric in the government and on the news that demonizes immigrants and refugees, which I find horribly at odds with the people I’ve met and the families I’ve grown up within and around. People find themselves in need of immigrating to this country for many reasons, and every single one of them deserves a process that doesn’t dehumanize them.
Favorite Quote
“Let me live, love, and say it well in good sentences.” Sylvia Plath
+Michelle Alas (She/Her/Ella)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
As the product of immigrants who fled violence during the Salvadoran Civil War, I have felt the systemic and immediate injustices of the immigrant community that are real and violent and personal. I have a great reverence for my immigrant origins and the decisions my family made, and as a result, I am eager to build collective power within the immigrant community in love and abundance.
Favorite Quote
No estudio para saber más, sino para ignorar menos--Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
+Natalie Wadhwa (She/Her/Hers)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Without immigrant justice, we can have no progress as a nation- we are stuck in a recurring cycle of ignorance and stagnancy. Our future lies within changing our status quo, so let this change start here.
Favorite Quote
"Don't let the concept of change scare you as much as the concept of staying unhappy." -Timber Hawkeye
+Olivia Suomi (She/Her/Hers)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
As an immigrant and naturalized United States citizen, the notion of immigrant liberation is significant for me. While I was fortunate to receive the legal aid I needed to obtain my citizenship, I recognize how systemically unjust the immigration system is.
At the age of nine, traveling to China was my first introduction to authentic Chinese culture since being adopted at 11 months. While there, I discovered an Asia isolated from my American narrative, presented from a true Eastern perspective. I began to reflect upon how historical and stereotypical representations of Asian culture have shaped United States immigration policies, informing the diplomacy of today. This experience of mapping how historical events have implications in immigration policy today allows me to continue to reflect on the broken immigration system and consider alternatives to the system we have in place. Although my identity has driven me to explore the Asian-American immigration experience, I hope to learn about how other races, ethnicities, and historical events are shaping immigration policies and eventually using this knowledge to break the current system.
Favorite Quote
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. -- Eleanor Rosevelt
+Patrick Anders (He/Him/His)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
The U.S. immigration system maintains and proliferates injustice in our society. If the U.S. wants to be a world leader, it must do better
Favorite Quote
“There is one kind of prison where the man is behind bars, and everything he desires is outside; and there is another kind where the things are behind the bars, and the man is outside.” – Upton Sinclair
+Rachel Pastore (She/Her/Hers)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
The US is failing to provide immigrants with adequate assistance and representation to navigate the country's complex legal system; providing immigrants with the legal attention and respect they deserve is essential to creating a more equitable society.
Favorite Quote
"May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears." -- Nelson Mandela
+Roza Kavak (She/Her/Hers)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Growing up at the border of Turkey with Syria and Iraq, I have witnessed how broken, dehumanizing, and violent the systems of immigration are. I believe immigrant justice and liberation mean justice and liberation for all, and that is why it is important to me.
Favorite Quote
"Berxwedan Jiyane" - A Kurdish saying translated to English as "Resistance is Life"
+Ye Chan Song (He/Him/His)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
The road to resettlement is long and arduous. I hope to support immigrants by listening to their stories, fighting for their cases, and helping them to find new homes.
Favorite Quote
"You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." -Winnie the Pooh
+Anahis Luna (She/Her/Hers)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
I have lived and experienced the immigrant experience. It is an arduous experience and I can not imagine doing it alone.
Favorite Quote
"What's the point of singing songs, if they'll never even hear you" - Sufjan Stevens
Class of 2021
+Aila Kassandra Rodriguez (She/Her/Hers)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Immigrant justice is important to me as I believe that every immigrant who is making an honest living and wishes to provide for their family deserves to rightfully stay here without the fear and worry of detention or deportation. As an immigrant myself, I recognize the how the current system often treats us as outsiders and inferior—our voices often silenced or belittled; that should not be case as immigrants, have always been, and will continue to be an indispensable part of this country.
Favorite Quote
"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched—they must be felt with the heart." -Helen Keller
+Abigail Shaska Carbajal (She/Her/Hers)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Immigrant justice is important to me because I come from a family of immigrants and believe that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. The deeply broken and racist U.S. immigration system must be reformed to ensure that no one is treated as less than human simply because they come from another country.
Favorite Quote
"Nos podrán quitar las flores, pero nunca la primavera." -Eduardo Galeano
+Deena Haque
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Immigrant justice and liberation are wholly tied to my identity, and therefore of the utmost importance to me. My parents and I are all immigrants who came to the US; it was especially difficult for my parents because at the time when they arrived here, they had already had quite established lives in our home country of Bangladesh. My mom had already finished her education and probably could have gotten a decent job in the city as well. But, once my mother set foot in the US, she immediately lost her identity as a learner and knowledge seeker, instead taking on the sole responsibility of being a stay-at-home mom. For her, being a woman in this country felt very foreign and often times dangerous. Her refuge was found inside our small apartment, while my father became the breadwinner for our family. As an immigrant myself, I felt the challenges of being in this country in slightly different ways, most of which didn’t impact me until I started school here. I was always a quiet child, but as I entered school, I had a lot of speech issues (being a toddler having to learn two languages at the same time) and was placed in an ELL program. This was followed by tons of bullying and feeling isolated from the other kids. My immigrant roots followed me all throughout my educational career, even following me to college where my uFLI identity became something that could potentially hold me back, especially going to a school where I am the minority. But, I am eternally grateful to my parents and for my journey because the immigrant community is some of the most resilient people I have ever met. My experiences with them in NY and even here in Providence have inspired me to keep chasing my goals and aspirations and in turn, give back to this community that has shaped me. I want to help create more stories like mine and many others, and witnessing my uncle’s immigration process of over twenty years, this passion has only become stronger.
Favorite Quote
“A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference” - Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh
+Rita Slaoui (She/Her/Hers)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Immigrant justice is important to me because immigration injustice causes additional unnecessary difficulties and trauma to refugees and immigrants.
Favorite Quote
"You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.” ― Angela Davis"
+Afia Akosah-Bempah (She/They)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Immigrant justice is important to me - as a child and beneficiary of mobility - because I view the enforcement of borders and immigration quotas as part of oppressive systems of carcerality and I see immigrant justice as working against such systems to reduce harm, repair relations, and produce the most just outcomes even within these rigid structures.
Favorite Quote
"I am a stranger learning to worship the strangers around me
whoever you are whoever I may become."
-June Jordan, These Poems
+Ruhma Khawaja (She/Her/Hers)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
I would not be where I am today if my family had not immigrated here, and I have witnessed firsthand the injustices in America's immigration system. This process should be so much easier, and immigrants, regardless of their status, should be treated like human beings.
Favorite Quote
"There is nothing radical about moral clarity." - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
+Naomi Gutierrez (She/Her/Hers)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
"Immigrant justice is important to me because I believe that everyone deserves a life and a home filled with peace, love, and security. Immigrant justice is part of the movement toward liberation for all marginalized peoples."
Favorite Quote
"I love you impossible dolphin, quietest in the river, breathing close to the surface. I'm grateful for what you remember even if you never say. And I'm keeping your name in my mouth like a river internal, like this love ever flowing. I am keeping your name in my mouth every day. All day." - Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals.
+Isabella Mandell (She/Her/Hers)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Having a secure home is a foundational right
Favorite Quote
"I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change.” ― Angela Davis"
+Jared Cetz (He/Him/His)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
The U.S. is an illegitimate country founded on ongoing genocide, enslavement, & imperialism. It has no right to pass judgement on who is or isn't deserving of safety, family, future. My dad, My tíos, my friends, my friends' parents, my community all deserve the world.
Favorite Quote
"Los 7 Principios del Zapatismo:
Obedecer y No Mandar (To Obey, Not Command)
Proponer y No Imponer (To Propose, Not Impose)
Representar y No Suplantar (To Represent, Not Supplant)
Convencer y No Vencer (To Convince, Not Conquer)
Construir y No Destruir (To Construct, Not Destroy)
Servir y No Servirse (To Serve Others, Not Serve Oneself)
Bajar y No Subir (To Work From Below, Not Seek To Rise)
+Leonardo Aquino Angel (He/Him/His)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Growing up in a community that homes many immigrant families such as my own, I have learned that the current narrative on immigration perpetuates hatred and exclusivity that prevents for necessary change under the current system. I want to help change that narrative, and support the community that has always supported me.
Favorite Quote
"You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming." - Pablo Neruda
+Maya Avelino Bencosme (She/Her/Hers)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Too often we think of immigrants in terms of numbers instead of recognizing the individuals with unique stories and needs. Immigrant justice is important to me because I want to be a part of changing our narrative around immigration and promote access to human rights for vulnerable communities.
Favorite Quote
“Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible." Maya Angelou
+Rachel Kim (She/Her/Hers)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
I've witnessed the personal and professional sacrifices my immigrant parents make on a daily basis to keep our household afloat. All immigrants, regardless of their status, deserve fundamental human rights, protections, and growth opportunities.
Favorite Quote
"To truly feel gratitude is to sprawl out into the light of the present. It is happiness, I think. To be indebted is to fixate on the future." - Cathy Park Hong
+Casandra Gutierrez (She/Her/Hers)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Immigrants justice is important to me because it is a topic very close to my personal story. Essentially, the experience of my immigrant parents is what has pushed me forward and inspired me to achieve.
Favorite Quote
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” ― Mahatma Gandhi"
+Melyssa Cristino (She/Her/Hers)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
I grew up seeing my mixed-status immigrant family struggle with the broken immigration system that has brought barriers upon them. The immigration system upholds inequality like many other institutions in the US, and I want to use the privileges that I hold to advocate and amplify immigrant voices.
Favorite Quote
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” - Maya Angelou
Class of 2020
+Alexa De La Fuente (She/Her/Hers)
Concentration: (Intended) Ethnic Studies and Education
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
In a country built on colonialism that continues to perpetuate inequality among certain groups of people, there is no such thing as an “illegal” person, especially if the dictation of who should be allowed to stay in the country is based on factors such as race.
Favorite Quote
“All I need to do is try and do the best that I can do.” -Selena Quintanilla
+Ingrid Ren (She/Her/Hers)
Concentration: Math and English
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Immigrant justice is important to me because I owe my existence and my life stability to my parents' opportunity to immigrate to the United States.
Favorite Quote
"The most beautiful part of your body / is where it’s headed. & remember, / loneliness is still time spent / with the world." -Ocean Vuong, "Someday I'll Love Ocean Vuong"
+Natalia Ibarra (She/Her/Hers)
Concentration: Political Science and English
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Growing up in an immigrant community, I have too many stories of family members, friends, and neighbors suffering because of the immigration system. I want to change that.
Favorite Quote
"If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain." - Emily Dickinson
+Andrew Steinberg (He/Him/His)
Concentration: International & Public Affairs
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Accessible immigration is the reason I am here today. Immigrant justice is personal to me and I want hold my country to its promise as a refuge for those seeking the same opportunities my family did.
Favorite Quote
"It is not enough these days to simply question authority. You have to speak with it, too."- Taylor Mali, "Totally like whatever, you know?"
+Haley Joyce (She/Her/Hers)
Concentration: International Public Affairs (potentially double concentrating in Africana)
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Immigrant Justice is important to me because I believe everyone deserves to be here. That this constructed "us vs. them" rhetoric needs is ruining our country.
Favorite Quote
"It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences." - Audrey Lorde
+Josué Zepeda Sanic (He/Him/His)
Concentration: Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Immigration justice is important to me because I sought asylum in the U.S. and I have first hand, lived experience with the broken system. I have also met countless of others who have had similar, and unfortunate, experiences as that of my family's and my own, and as someone in the position to learn to play "the system", I believe it is one of my responsibilities to advocate and help others in the same way that people advocated for me.
Favorite Quote
“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” - Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
+Daviana Pérez (She/Her/Hers)
Concentration: Comparative Literature; International and Public Affairs
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Immigrant justice is important to me largely because it is something that I have been privileged to not have to individually worry about, given my identity as a Puerto Rican woman; yet, I am also aware that this is a privilege most other Latinx individuals are not able to have claim simply with their birth. I want to use both my privilege of citizenship and ethnic identity, therefore, to advocate for and support individuals from not only Latin America, but from around the world, to be accepted in the United States.
Favorite Quote
"Yo soy la vida, la fuerza, la mujer." - Julia de Burgos
+Chaelin Jung (She/Her/Hers)
Concentration: Economics, International and Public Affairs
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Before immigration is a political or economic or even legal issue, it’s a moral issue, and the current treatment of migrants—particularly those seeking asylum—in this country is unconscionable. Migrants deserve basic human dignity, safety, and the opportunity to tell their story, and I'm committing to fight for that justice.
Favorite Quote
"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not lose heart." Galatians 6:9
+Alexandra Ali Martínez (She/Her/Hers/Ella)
Concentration: International & Public Affairs and Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
SCIJ has allowed me to give back to the Providence community, which has become a second home! Specifically, I hope to continue serving our migrant communities while studying in college.
Favorite Quote
“1,950 mile-long open wound dividing a pueblo, a culture, running down the length of my body, staking fence rods in my flesh, splits me splits me, me raja me raja. This is my home this thin edge of barbwire.” - Gloria Anzaldúa, Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza
+Luisana Guerrero (She/Her/Hers)
Concentration: Ethnic Studies; Portuguese and Brazilian Studies
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Being an immigrant is a vital part of my identity that I hid for a very long time. But recently I've learned how to use my privilege and resources to lift the voices of other members of my community and will continue to do so until permanent change is made.
Favorite Quote
"I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept." -Angela Y. Davis
+Shantal Hernandez (She/Her/Hers)
Concentration: International and Public Affairs Development
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Immigrant justice is important to me because I believe everyone has the right to pursue a life with security, growth opportunities, and a welcoming community. Every immigrant has a story that deserves to be heard, respected, and addressed, and through this program I hope to honor that belief.
Favorite Quote
“What if accountability wasn’t scary? It will never be easy or comfortable, but what if it wasn’t scary? What if our own accountability wasn’t something we ran from, but something we ran towards and desired, appreciated, held as sacred? What if we cherished opportunities to take accountability as precious opportunities to practice liberation? To practice love? To practice the kinds of people, elders-to-be, and souls we want to be? To practice that which we can only practice in real time? After all, we can only practice courage when we are afraid. We can only practice taking accountability when we have wronged or harmed or hurt.” - Mia Mingus
+Melanie Morales Aquino (She/Her/Hers)
Concentration: Health and Human Biology
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
Immigrant justice is important to me because I have seen the struggles my parents have faced since immigrating to the US. I am fighting for the rights of immigrants because legal status should not determine whether someone is treated with fairness and dignity.
Favorite Quote
"It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it." -Eleanor Roosevelt
+Anik Willig (She/Her/Hers)
Potential Concentration: English and International and Public Affairs
Why is Immigrant Justice Important to you?
My family members have gone through the immigration system, and I have seen firsthand how much change there needs to be made.
Favorite Quote
"Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you." - Ruth Bader Ginsburg
