A prime college in the US has declined to oppose President Donald Trump’s journey ban on Iran after a name to motion by its Iranian college students.
In a letter final month, the group of scholars referred to as on the College of Texas at Austin to denounce Trump’s “sweeping and discriminatory” ban, take “speedy authorized motion” towards the measure, and reaffirm help for Iranian college students and students.
The letter, authored “on behalf of the newly admitted Iranian college students”, was despatched to interim college President Jim Davis on July 21, weeks after Trump signed an executive order banning citizens from 12 countries, including Iran.
“This Proclamation undermines the very rules upon which UT Austin stands. Iranian college students and students have lengthy been integral to the college’s tutorial and analysis excellence, notably in STEM fields,” the letter mentioned.
Within the letter, the group famous that the college’s division of civil, architectural and environmental engineering was named after Fariborz Maseeh, an Iranian-American entrepreneur and philanthropist, in a “testomony to the enduring legacy of Iranian American contributions to training, innovation, and public service”.
“It is a second that requires daring and principled motion,” the letter mentioned.
“UT Austin has lengthy benefited from Iranian college students’ tutorial contributions. It should now stand of their protection. Failing to behave not solely jeopardizes the futures of particular person college students – it dangers diminishing the moral and mental standing of the establishment itself.”
Al Jazeera obtained the letter by way of a public information request.
Regardless of the scholars’ plea, neither the college nor Davis have made any public touch upon the ban.
Davis’s workplace didn’t reply to a request for remark.
Final yr, 81 Iranians studied on the College of Texas at Austin, in response to the college’s web site, nearly all of whom had been graduate college students.
The College of Texas at Austin is taken into account among the many most prestigious tertiary establishments within the US, inserting thirtieth in US Information and World Report’s 2025 college rankings.
“After months of preparation and acceptance into the world’s main analysis establishments, we now face the heartbreaking chance of being denied entry for a very long time,” an Iranian scholar, who was concerned within the letter, advised Al Jazeera, requesting anonymity.
The scholar mentioned many members of a 1,500-person Telegram group of Iranian college students that they belong to have reported being caught in extended post-interview administrative processing.
A number of of them have been refused visas, whereas others have chosen to skip visa interviews on the understanding that they might be denied a visa, the coed mentioned.
Previous to the ban, a lot of them would have already undergone in depth safety vetting to acquire a scholar visa.
Aside from Iran, Trump’s journey ban additionally applies to Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
The scholar mentioned Iranians had been dealing with “collective punishment” by the Trump administration.
“Individuals should not be equated with their governments,” the coed mentioned.
“Such blanket measures are neither affordable nor honest, and so they undermine the very rules of justice, tutorial freedom, and equal alternative that the US has lengthy stood for.”
Greater than 12,300 Iranian college students studied within the US in the course of the 2023-2024 tutorial yr, up from 10,812 a yr earlier, in response to the US State Division.
