In the past week, we’ve tried to give this new administration the bene t of the doubt. We’ve talked about choices, keeping in mind that statistically, half our readership voted for our new president. Though we’ve expressed hesitation at some of his more bombastic orders, we have tried to hope that in the end, moderation would win out. But we cannot do that anymore.
This goes beyond the left and the right. We’re not going to point fingers, or scream or throw things. We are simply going to ask the UF community and our readers to stand up for our international students. This is not an easy time for anyone, but for our international students, staff and faculty, their lives and safety are at risk. Right now, we need to put aside our politics and pride and stand up for our diverse community.
If you somehow have not heard, President Donald Trump on Friday signed an immigration order banning citizens from seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the U.S. for the next 90 days. This includes international students who may have been out of the country, people with visas, people who hold dual citizenship, refugees running from war-torn regions and one of the Oscar-nominated directors for best foreign-language film. After mass protests at airports across the country, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security eased the order’s restriction on green-card holders returning to the U.S. At any rate, people are being denied entrance into the country. That includes people who have lived here for years, study here and have nowhere else to go. This is not the America we were told stories of, the one where the Statue of Liberty welcomes all — “your tired, your poor, your huddled masses.” This is a country built by immigrants, people seeking asylum, diversity and culture.
This should not be a country turning people away; not people who live here, study here or have gone through all the necessary measures to be here. We once prided ourselves on being a melting pot of different cultures, a safe haven for those who seek it. There’s always been xenophobia and racism in our country, but for the longest time, we could fight it. We were fighting it. And now more than ever, we must fight it.
There’s hope. There are lawyers gathering in the John F. Kennedy International Airport to aid those held in customs. The American Civil Liberties Union sued Trump’s order and won a temporary injunction against the deportation of those currently stranded in airports across the country. But the road is long. We may grow weary. We may begin to think of this as a distant news story. We may lose hope.
But we can’t. Because for some — many right here at UF — this is not some far-off story. This is a very real anger, a very real fear.
Sunday, UF President Kent Fuchs issued a statement affirming UF’s support for our international community and reassuring us that all immigration records are kept private in compliance with federal and state law. He also attended an on-campus protest of Trump’s order on Sunday. We thank him for this. We need to support our international students, staff and faculty.
We need to let them know we will be here for them — we will protect their rights and safety.
