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Linguistics Faculty Statement on Immigration and Travel Ban

We stand together with our Chancellor and with the Linguistic Society of America in affirming our commitment to the welfare of all of our students and colleagues, regardless of their religion or country of origin. Restricting visas based on religion or country of origin undermines intellectual freedom and violates the most fundamental American values.

The recent executive order on immigration resulted in the detention of hundreds of legal US residents. Detaining or deporting legal US residents for no reason other than religion or country of birth is un-American. We stand behind our students and colleagues from banned countries and will do all we can to support them. Furthermore, the field of Linguistics inherently requires collaboration with speakers of all of the world’s languages. As scholars of language, we have a special obligation to look at the linguistic dimension of international relations, including connections to and research in languages of the Middle East and Africa. For this reason we do not recognize or accept any ban on students and visiting scholars applying to our department from any country, including those where visa applications are being limited. We welcome applicants from all countries, including Syria, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia. We will oppose any efforts to deny a visa based solely on religion or national origin.