TL;DR: UAW 2478 and Caltech will be hosting a Q&A with the International Office, Security, Office of General Counsel on Wednesday 08/27 at 12pm in Chen 100 regarding international scholar rights and protections. RSVP and submit questions in advance here.
This year has been challenging for academia and international students. Just recently, the US State Department announced that it had revoked six thousand student visas [1]. Immigration officers have made arrests close to home – in one case making an arrest outside graduate student housing. Uncertainty grows around best practices when approached by federal law enforcement – whether on or off campus. Earlier this year, two international scholars at Caltech had their visas revoked. In response, dozens of graduate student workers and postdocs delivered a letter to President Rosenbaum with concrete requests for further protections. The Caltech administration agreed to increase efforts towards the Graduate Student Emergency Fund and include legal fees for disputing visa revocation as part of the $500 for visa costs and related expenses.
In our ongoing Know Your Rights trainings, we have discussed existing protections both on and off campus. When on Caltech campus, particularly private spaces such as offices, labs, and ongoing classes, we have the right to call security (x5000) if immigration enforcement approaches us or is seen on campus. Additionally, we emphasize utilization of our constitutional rights to freedom of expression (1st Amendment), protection from unlawful search and seizure (4th Amendment), and right to remain silent (5th Amendment) both on and off campus.
Knowing our rights is a strong first protection against attacks on the international members of our community, but enforcing our rights requires collective action. To do that, our International Worker Committee is hosting an immigration chat with administration this upcoming Wednesday, 8/27 at 12:00pm in Chen 100. This event will consist of a brief presentation from Caltech’s International Offices, Caltech’s answers to FAQs regarding immigration, and a public Q&A session. Showing up is our best way to stay informed AND ensure that the Caltech administration hears our concerns, so make sure to come out!
Please RSVP and submit questions for the FAQ section here. We look forward to seeing you there!
Abdullah Farooq
Graduate Student Worker, CCE