The attack on international scholars by President Trump’s administration continues. Today, the Supreme Court ruled on the Muslim Ban 3.0. On June 11th, new rules were introduced to limit Chinese student visas in STEM fields to as little as one year. Previously, most visas were issued for the maximum possible five year period.
Discriminatory visa policies for international students from specific countries have predated this Presidency. Since Donald Trump was elected, graduate students from China and countries affected by the Muslim ban have been added to this list. At Columbia University and across the country international students from these countries have been experiencing delays renewing visas, leading to disruptions in work and school schedules.
Many members of our Union will be affected by these discriminatory and xenophobic policies, and it is important to stop this trend. In coordination with UAW local unions for student workers and postdocs at the University of California, Connecticut, and Washington, we are starting a petition to President Bollinger asking him and other University presidents around the country to resist this and communicate the harmful impacts of these policies to our state congressional delegation and to the Trump administration.
Please sign the petition here.
In Solidarity,
Graduate Workers of Columbia, Bargaining Committee and International Students’ Working Group