Dear Colgate Community,
On Monday, July 6, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued new guidance that prohibits international students from returning to or remaining in the United States this fall if the universities they attend hold courses entirely online. This follows new, recently announced restrictions on international work visas. These actions threaten the work, safety, and wellbeing of many members of our community.
For our international students and faculty, I want to state unequivocally that we object to these actions, and we will keep you informed as we proceed to fight their implementation. As a first move, Colgate will join an amicus brief in support of Harvard and MIT’s lawsuit to stop these federal actions.
We have contacted Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Anthony Brindisi to express our opposition to these new guidelines, which undermine the work of all international faculty and students. I encourage you to join in this effort by contacting elected federal officials. Contact information for all congressional offices can be found on the U.S. House of Representatives website, where you can search by zip code.
Because Colgate has plans for in-person instruction on campus, international students who are currently in the United States are not required to depart the country. But we still must object to these federal actions as they undercut the essential work of the University. The contributions of our international colleagues and students on this campus are fundamental to our mission of creating an environment that is most conducive to the production and promulgation of knowledge.
As the incoming president of the New York Six Liberal Arts Consortium (NY6), I can speak for the other NY6 schools in our unanimous opposition to the new guidance issued by ICE, and I have taken the lead in drafting a statement expressing our collective objection to these restrictions. I know that the Patriot League and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) also have plans to distribute statements in opposition of the new ICE guidance.
Our strength, even in times of the greatest global uncertainty, must remain in our steadfast commitment to our academic mission and to each other. Colgate University will continue to stand with our international students and faculty.
Sincerely,
Brian W. Casey
President