“We’re doing what we can to help them maintain their status and to give them time to work on options,” he said. “(We’re) working with our congressional delegation and our partners to help identify options.”

Cassella said the students will have 30 days after the end of their classes to remain in the country as per visa regulations. That gives the students about two weeks after university aid ends to set their affairs in order.

Cassella said the students’ tuition has been covered by the VIPP’s own fund since aid from the Libyan National Economic Development Board was cut in March following February’s political rebellion, but he said MSU has provided them with food assistance and housing since that time.

Some students in the program are uncertain of their plans once funding from the university stops.
Mohamed Gibril, a program participant, said he doesn’t know what he and his colleagues will do once the deadline passes.

“The whole situation has been full of uncertainties,” he said. Gibril commended MSU for its efforts to aid the Libyan students in the program thus far, but he urged the university to continue funding the program.

Gibril — who cannot receive money from his family in Libya — said his bank account slowly is dwindling as a result of the high cost of living in the U.S. but said he is working on arrangements to remain in the country. The situation in his homeland remains dangerous for himself and his counterparts, he said.

“We know if we return to Libya, we will be killed,” he said. “In Libya nowadays, killing is the easiest thing you can get.”

Some students in the program have received assistance outside of the university.
Michael Harrison, a lawyer with Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith, 313 S. Washington Square, in Lansing, has pulled together a team of lawyers across Michigan to help the program’s students with applications for political asylum.

Harrison said the process is a complex one that requires defining individual issues related to each case.

“You can’t just say, ‘Look at what’s happening in Libya; these people might be in danger,’” he said. “That doesn’t work. … Just an interview can take up to three hours.”

Harrison said he also has pulled together a group of private donors who would support financial efforts, including former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard and former Michigan Attorney Gen. Frank Kelley.

“We’re looking at quite a bit of money,” he said. “The hardest part is getting the word out.”

Harrison said he and his team will continue providing assistance as long as the students are in the U.S.

“I’m not interested in seeing people go back to probable death because they happen to be on the wrong side of the government,” he said.

MSU University Development has set up the Libyan Student Fund and will continue to accept financial contributions, Cassella said.