Debate over Legal Expenses in Immigration Act at Senate Meeting
By Brynn Brown | November 10, 2026
The Nov. 4 Student Association (SA) Senate meeting had a typical agenda—opening remarks, a brief appropriations agenda, and a legislative agenda that had some internal policies—but saw most of its time taken by discussion around the Legal Expenses in Immigration Act (LEIF Act).
Student Association President Ava-Rae Calloway and Comptroller Cheyenne Swaby both talked about the bill in their reports to the SA Senate.
The LEIF Act was passed by the SA Senate in April. It was meant to establish a fund to help University at Albany Students pay immigration-related legal expenses.
Under the bill, the Student Association would contribute $50,000 dollars for the first two years after its implementation. In the years after that, the Student Association would maintain the fund at an amount agreed upon by itself and the University at Albany Foundation. Budget allocations for LEIF would be made for six years, at which point a re-evaluation would take place.
President Calloway and Comptroller Swaby both want to see the duration shortened and a per-student spending cap imposed, with an additional line in the application for students to request to go over the cap.
“Because of how much miscommunication, different documents flying around, I believe that some things just need to be said,” said President Calloway.
According to President Calloway, several different documents with different durations and standards had come across her desk. She could not produce those documents during the meeting as they were on a separate device.
Both the cap and shortened funding duration could theoretically be imposed in the formal agreement between the Student Association and the University at Albany Foundation, despite the original bill’s text requiring six years' worth of allocations and mentioning no cap.
“The Student Association is empowered to establish a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the University at Albany Foundation to provide an Immigration Fund, or similar service, to the community at the University at Albany, as defined by both parties, on terms established and agreed upon, by both parties, and their signatories and legal representatives,” says the LEIF Act’s text.
“We believe [a cap] will not restrict, but will expand on who can use the funds,” said Comptroller Swaby.
Additionally, Comptroller Swaby said that a three-year duration will insulate the Student Association against financial hardship, in the event that the Student Activity Fee does not pass.
Senator Carolina Thomas, one of the original co-sponsors of the bill, said that the President and Comptroller had not had a meeting with her or any other organization who contributed to the bill prior to the reports.
“This is an initiative by students,” said Senator Thomas, saying that the idea of the bill originated outside of the senate. “It’s really disheartening… these are not the terms and conditions we discussed.”
According to senators opposing the limit and shortened duration, the senate has already passed the legislation, and the president and comptroller do not have the power to alter the functionality of the bill through the act’s formal agreement with the University at Albany Foundation.
During his Audit Committee report, Audit Chair Marcos Perez, formerly a senator who was also a sponsor of the LEIF Act, took time to explain the act to the senate in greater detail. The former sponsor of LEIF went over his time, talking about the people outside of the senate who have worked on the bill, as Senate Chair Jaden Burke repeatedly told him that his time had expired.
It is likely that the LEIF Act will come up again in a near-future senate meeting, as the Student Association attempts to get the funds disbursed to those who can use them.
“I am fully with the cause, and I believe in its mission,” said President Calloway.
The next regular Student Association Senate meeting will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 18.
Comments