Northwestern opposes executive order restricting immigration

Northwestern Now: Summaries

EVANSTON - Northwestern University has joined 30 other colleges and universities around the country in filing an amicus brief opposing President Donald Trump’s second executive order restricting immigration.Universities today greatly depend on the talents of students and scholars from around the globe to advance scholarship and enrich student learning, and the institutions already are feeling the order’s damaging effects, according to the brief.The amicus brief was filed April 20 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in the case of State of Hawaii, et al., v. Donald J. Trump, et al.The president’s second immigration order falls short on justifying the ban on affected individuals from the six specified countries while harming the ability of American universities to carry out their global missions, the brief concludes. Issued March 6, the president’s second executive order would suspend entry of nationals from six Muslim-majority countries into the United States for 90 days. The countries are Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, and the order would bar entry of affected individuals who seek the categories of visas most commonly relied upon by international students.The president’s second executive order has been blocked from going into effect by orders of federal district court judges in Hawaii and Maryland. And the Trump administration is challenging those court orders in appeals to the Fourth and Ninth Circuits.The universities “take extremely seriously the safety and security of their campuses and the nation,” the brief states. But they “believe that safety and security concerns can be addressed in a manner that is consistent with the values America has always stood for, including the free flow of ideas across borders and the welcoming of immigrants.”Through established visa programs, the many international students, faculty and scholars who make American university campuses their homes have been thoroughly vetted by the U. ...

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