Mission
The Immigration Response Team seeks to ensure that all faculty, staff, and students who are affected by immigration policy changes have access to resources and support. The team provides outreach to the greater University community on the impact of executive orders and other policy changes, immigration regulations, and issues connected with DACA and immigration status.
Director
Marissa Hill-Dongre, J.D.
Marissa is the director of the Immigration Response Team. In this role, she has helped to guide University of Minnesota students, faculty, and staff through unprecedented changes and uncertainty with immigration law and policy in the United States. In addition to her role with the Immigration Response Team, Marissa is an Assistant Director of the University’s International Student and Scholar Services office, helping to lead the Employment-based Visa unit. Marissa has worked at ISSS since 2009, and during that time has advised students, faculty, and staff on issues related to F-1 and H-1B visas, employment-based permanent residence applications, and other issues related to immigration laws. Marissa graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with degrees in Sociology and Spanish, and she graduated Cum Laude from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2006.
Prior to law school, Marissa worked as a Spanish interpreter and ESL teacher. During law school, Marissa worked at the Mexican Capital Legal Assistance Program and at Centro Legal, a non-profit legal services organization. From 2006 to 2009, Marissa practiced immigration law at Centro Legal, focusing on family-based immigration, naturalization, and on applications for victims of crime. Marissa previously worked at the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota as their Education Coordinator. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.