These are challenging times for scholars, artists, and human rights activists in the United States, and especially for displaced people in temporary placements on temporary visas.
On April 24, 2025, 45 people joined a conversation about recent changes in US policies on immigration, free speech, and funding for research, education, and the arts. To protect the privacy of attendees, the session was not recorded.
The session was moderated by Omaid Sharifi of ArtLords and a representative of City of Asylum Pittsburgh. Attorneys Sanjay Sethi and Zelo Safi of the Artistic Freedom Initiative and Sarah Spreitzer of the American Council on Education made brief presentations and then took questions.
Sanjay Sethi serves as AFI’s Co-Executive Director, overseeing the coordination of its advocacy programs and legal services. For the last 15 years, Mr. Sethi has dedicated his career to public service and international human rights. Mr. Sethi has an extensive background in non-profit management, earning a Nonprofit Management Executive Certificate from Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy.
Mr. Sethi is the co-founder of Sethi & Mazaheri, LLC, a law firm dedicated to immigration and asylum law. He is also a former prosecutor and served as a law clerk in criminal court for the Superior Court of New Jersey.
Zelo Safi serves as AFI’s Senior Attorney, Immigration & Human Rights, providing legal services for at-risk artists from around the world. With a background in the arts and law, she is passionate about the intersection of art, cultural heritage, and law.
Ms. Safi previously worked with True, Walsh & Sokoni, LLP (now True & Walsh LLP) in upstate New York and Lehach & Filippa, LLC in New York City. She has an extensive background in business immigration matters with particular emphasis on O-1 artist visas, as well as family-based immigration visas.
Sarah Spreitzer is Vice President and Chief of Staff, Government Relations, at the American Council on Education (ACE). She represents ACE and its members on matters related to research policy and funding, federal policy, international students, immigration, and legislative issues.
Before joining ACE, Spreitzer held senior positions in higher education advocacy at the University of Missouri System, Lewis-Burke Associates LLC, and the University of Washington’s Office of Federal Relations. She has held leadership positions within the broader higher education community, including chairing working groups on higher education for the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU. In addition, she has served as the vice chair of the AAU Council on Federal Relations steering committee and the co-chair of the APLU Council of Government Affairs.