On Monday Jan. 30, UW President Laurie Nichols responded to President Donald Trump’s executive order banning travel from seven middle-eastern countries and immigration.
Nichols said that there are approximately 58 individuals at the university who are being affected directly by this executive order, with students and staff from four of the seven countries.
“We have a strong history of welcoming students, scholars, faculty and staff from around the world and have many working and learning on our campus today. The University’s position has not changed,” Nichols said.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January imposing a travel ban on individuals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen that will last for 90 days. Refugee admission to the U.S. has also been paused for a duration of 120 days.
So far one student scheduled to travel to the University of Wyoming to enter a graduate program was unable to arrive as intended. Nichols said that efforts to discover if other students or staff who are traveling will be affected are ongoing.
On Thursday, Feb. 2, the Persian Students Association hand-delivered a letter to President Nichols expressing some of their concerns regarding the executive order.
“They asked that I help with five issues/areas where greater clarity would be helpful,” Nichols said. “I am working to get as clear of answers as possible and will be responding as soon as I or someone from International offices can do so.”
Jose Rivas, a grad student in the Counselor Education Program, shared his concerns about the University supporting students from foreign countries.
“This school prides itself on internationalization, this is a great opportunity to walk the talk,” Rivas said. “Some of our best Engineering students are from countries experiencing the travel ban.”
Rivas said that the university could go beyond simply expressing support for students and faculty.
“Allowing the University to become a sanctuary school is important, a school that will protect its students from deportation and from being detained,” Rivas said.
Coordinator of International Students and Scholars at UW Maria Amendares said that she and her staff want to continue to offer support to those affected.
Nichols said that she encourages students who are concerned to reach out to the International Students and Scholars Office along with the International Programs offices.
“They have been getting inquiries and are learning more about the degree to which these new immigration procedures will impact them and their success at UW. They are also responding to specific questions,” Nichols said.
Brian Dominguez, an undergraduate chemistry major, stressed the importance of providing education for students who are not directly affected by the executive order.
“We need more education for those who are not affected. A lot of people were very reactive, and some were even verbally abusive, when students were looking for students to sign their petition. We need to provide support for these individuals,” Dominguez said.
Rivas said that educating students should be the number one goal of the university.
“The United States is a country of immigrants,” Rivas said. “It has been and will continue to be, and we need to work to fix the broken immigration system. Students, please listen to understand, don’t just listen to reply.”
