First Executive Order on Immigration January 27, 2017
On January 27, 2017 the new US President issued an Executive Order: Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States. The announcement has a significant impact on colleges and universities across the US. The framing of this action as related to Muslim countries is especially staggering considering 32% of current international students in the US come from countries in Africa, the Middle East and South and Central Asia with significant Muslim populations - as massive one-third of all international students in the US. Here in Silicon Valley and at SCU we know that our community thrives in large part due to the talents of people from these countries.
As a Jesuit, Catholic University, Santa Clara has a longstanding commitment to educating immigrants and supporting the most vulnerable in society. One of the highest ideals of Catholic social teaching is to welcome the stranger and to treat others with compassion and solidarity. Our mission at SCU includes the care for the most marginalized among us and the cultivation of the cross-cultural understanding that is necessary to address the tremendous problems facing our divided world. Motivated by our mission, we are committed to caring for our students who have been adversely impacted by these recent changes so they may continue their studies and pursue their dreams.
The Global Engagement Office supports our students and scholars for whom the Executive Order on Immigration may raise questions. We have developed this webpage to provide both information and support resources to SCU international students and scholars. International students and scholars are encouraged to contact a GEO advisor with any questions or concerns or to be guided to other resources to support individual needs.
President Michael Engh, SJ issued this message on January 30, 2017. See more responses from university presidents and leaders here.