Message from Chancellor Block and EVC Waugh on immigration executive order

UCLA Office of the Chancellor

Chancellor Gene Block and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Scott Waugh affirm UCLA’s opposition to restricting travel from seven majority-Muslim countries.

This past week, as most of you are well aware, President Trump signed an executive order that suspends entry into the United States for various categories of travelers. The order includes refugees, immigrants, non-immigrant visa holders, and possibly lawful U.S. permanent residents from seven majority-Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

The executive order directly challenges the core values and mission of universities to encourage the free exchange of scholars, knowledge and ideas. It may affect the ability to travel for thousands of students and scholars now in the U.S. diligently pursuing their scholarly careers as well as countless others who wish to take advantage of our open universities to pursue knowledge and truth. Although the breadth of the order is not yet clear, it also could adversely affect the ability to travel for many faculty, students, and staff in our own community.

Already, universities across the U.S. as well as scholarly societies such as the APLU and the AAU have issued powerful statements decrying this action. UCLA joins this rising chorus in expressing opposition to the executive order. As your chancellor and executive vice chancellor, we want to reassure the campus community as a whole and especially those directly affected by this order that the University of California and our campus’s leadership stand by our core values.

We are actively engaged with the UC Office of the President to understand the full implications of the order and to find ways of protecting members of our community. The integrity of our mission as a research university and the well-being of our campus community are paramount.

The UC Office of the President has advised “UC community members from these seven countries who hold a visa to enter the United States or who are lawful permanent residents do not travel outside of the United States.” In the meantime, if you are a student, scholar or faculty member who have visa issues or questions that deserve our attention, please contact the UCLA Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars at 310-825-1681.

Please also see the message that was sent today from UC President Janet Napolitano and signed by leadership from throughout the University of California.

Gene D. Block
Chancellor

Scott L. Waugh
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost