Sidwell students met with staffers for Maryland senators Angela Alsobrooks and Chris Van Hollen, as well as Washington Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, on Nov. 4. In the meetings, students and staff discussed the importance of investing in foreign assistance and protecting refugees.
The meetings were a result of Sidwell’s collaboration with the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL). FCNLxSidwell provides students opportunities to lobby on Capitol Hill for policies that align with Quaker ideology.
The specific task the students had for the November meetings was to lobby the representatives to “support robust investment in foreign assistance and refugee protections in FY26 appropriations.” The process of Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) appropriations involves the government deciding how to spend taxpayer money over 12 months starting on Oct. 1.
In the meetings, students used a storytelling approach to convey their points. This involved students talking about the experiences of meaningful people in their lives related to immigration and refugee protection. The stories ranged from family stories about immigration to stories about friends who are impacted by ICE’s deportation raids.
Freshman Tyler McCarty told a story about ICE raids at an apartment complex near him. When ICE took a mother at the complex, her community stepped in to help her family. When the topic came up in the meeting with Van Hollen’s office, staffers agreed that ICE raids can be very damaging to a community’s sense of stability. They further indicated that Van Hollen is actively working to combat this and is meeting with other offices to try and help communities impacted by raids.
Another example of the storytelling approach was sophomore Victoria Wang’s story about her mother’s journey to the US. Her mother was born in China but was unable to go to school because her mother often did not allow her. However, she earned a scholarship to study in Singapore and later came to America through her hard work. In the meetings, Wang used her mother’s experience as an example of “the work that achieving the American Dream requires.”
This summer, both Van Hollen and Alsobrooks tried to access a deportation center in Baltimore. Staffers said they were first denied entry, likely because of the awful conditions. However, both senators later returned and toured the facility, even though they were unable to speak to the detainees and could only view them through a glass window.
The first meeting was held with staffers from Van Hollen’s office, Maiesha Hossain and Brendan Flynn. The response to the student’s stories and questions was very supportive and the staffers expressed that Van Hollen is passionate about the subject of immigration.
Sophomore Justin Manley described the experience as “unique.” Manley thought “it was great to hear that they valued young people’s opinions because they often don’t get exposure to what we think.”
Freshman Thaddeus Tate expressed his awe of “the willingness of senator Van Hollen and his staff to work across the aisle” to achieve his goals that often align with those of FCNL.
Van Hollen is also on the appropriations committee, which decides where taxpayer money is spent for the fiscal year starting on Oct. 1. Staffers said his policies on immigration will likely be reflected in what he approves there.
After the Van Hollen meeting, some members of the group took a train to the Capitol and met Van Hollen. Manley said the experience was “amazing” and “it was great when Senator Van Hollen asked our opinions on whether or not the Democrats should keep fighting or give in to reopen the government. While one group was at the Capitol, the other group met with staffer Phillip Flannery, who works for Alsobrooks. Flannery agreed that the stories told by students showed an amazing journey and represent how we need to work to uphold the American Dream.
In response to the students, Flannery said that he was impressed with the specificity of the questions the students asked. At the end of the meeting, Flannery said he would ask his supervisor to consider the message the students conveyed.
The students later reconvened to meet with a Holmes-Norton office staffer, Jesse Herman.
Following the meeting, FCNLxSidwell club heads reached out to the office of Maryland representative Jamie Raskin. As of Nov. 22, FCNLxSidwell has a meeting with Raskin’s office scheduled for Nov. 25.
