After an Afghan student, Ali Faqirzada, was detained following a routine asylum hearing in New York, Bard College and the local Episcopal Diocese mobilized networks to secure his release. College officials coordinated legal aid and community advocacy, underscoring how institutions are acting as immediate support systems for students entangled in immigration proceedings. The case illustrates operational demands on campuses—legal clinics, chaplaincies and external partners are increasingly central to student services when federal immigration actions intersect with higher education communities.