Academics Denounce Trump's Executive Order on Immigration

NEW YORK, NY – January 27, 2017 – More than 6,000 academics from many of the most prestigious universities across the United States, including many Nobel Laureates, Fields Medalists, Members of the National Academy of Sciences, and winners of John Bates Clark Medal have signed an open letter opposing President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order for a 90-day suspension of visas and other immigration benefits to all nationals of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. This ban is likely to become permanent after the 90-day suspension period.

The prominent academic signatories outline three main reasons for their opposition:

1. The Executive Order discriminates against a large group of immigrants and longtime residents of the United States based solely on their country of origin, all of which have a majority-Muslim population.
2. The Executive Order places a harsh and undue burden on the people affected, needlessly and cruelly separating families by limiting travel and restricting entry. These are people the letter’s signatories are proud to call friends, colleagues, and members of their community – what they will be subject to under this Executive Order is inhumane, un-American and entirely disproportionate to the threat it is purporting to address.
3. This Executive Order would significantly damage the United States’ reputation for academic excellence in higher education. United States research institutions directly benefit from the work of thousands of researchers from the nations affected by this Executive Order. The United States academic community relies on these talented and creative individuals for their contributions to the cutting-edge research.

In short, these academics denounce this Executive Order in the strongest possible terms and respectfully urge President Trump to reconsider his stance to be more consistent with the longstanding values and principles of this country. Although this letter has already been published, a growing number of academics continue to sign it. For more information, refer to the following website: NoToImmigrationBan.com