President Barchi announces support for Undocumented Immigrants and Muslim Community
‘Cultural and ethnic diversity is an essential element of our identity’
Rutgers University President Robert Barchi released a statement via email to students and staff this morning concerning immigration policy and higher education. The statement comes in response to the Rutgers Solidarity #NoBanNoWall rally taking place later today, which calls on President Barchi to “call on the Trump administration to immediately rescind its ‘Muslim ban’…Publicly condemn the executive order as thinly-veiled Islamophobia, xenophobia, and fear mongering.”
President Barchi commended the many student groups taking part in the event for their leadership, and acknowledged how Trump’s recent executive orders on immigration may affect international students and academia.
“Academia is by its nature international, and we must be vigilant to protect and advocate for the free exchange of ideas around the world. I firmly believe that our community’s actions in November helped to protect undocumented students, and I hope that by this evening’s show of solidarity, we will have a similar impact on national conversations about immigration and refugee rights,” Barchi said.
He also acknowledged how the executive order seems to unfairly target the Muslim community, and said that the University would still work to protect students’ rights.
He continued, “Nothing about the recent executive order changes Rutgers’ policy affirming our students’ right to privacy and safety. We remain steadfast in our commitment to protect the privacy of our student records and to provide a safe place for our entire community. We would apply these same principles to any future calls for mandatory student registration based on ethnicity or religion.”
To conclude his statement, he called upon the Rutgers community to continue to fight back against policies that infringe on the “spirit of higher education and research.”