US school declines to oppose Trump journey ban after Iranian college students’ plea | Schooling News

A prime college within the United States 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 known as on the University of Texas at Austin to denounce Trump’s “sweeping and discriminatory” ban, take “immediate legal action” in opposition to the measure, and reaffirm help for Iranian college students and students.

The letter, authored “on behalf of the newly admitted Iranian students”, was despatched to interim college President Jim Davis on July 21, weeks after Trump signed an government order banning residents from 12 international locations, together with Iran.

“This Proclamation undermines the very principles upon which UT Austin stands. Iranian students and scholars have long been integral to the university’s academic and research excellence, particularly in STEM fields,” the letter stated.

In 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 “testament to the enduring legacy of Iranian American contributions to education, innovation, and public service”.

“This is a moment that calls for bold and principled action,” the letter stated.

“UT Austin has long benefited from Iranian students’ academic contributions. It must now stand in their defense. Failing to act not only jeopardizes the futures of individual students – it risks diminishing the ethical and intellectual standing of the institution itself.”

Al Jazeera obtained the letter by means of a public information request.

Despite 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.

Last 12 months, 81 Iranians studied on the University of Texas at Austin, in line with the college’s web site, virtually all of whom had been graduate college students.

The University of Texas at Austin is taken into account among the many most prestigious tertiary establishments within the US, inserting thirtieth in US News and World Report’s 2025 college rankings.

“After months of preparation and acceptance into the world’s leading research institutions, we now face the heartbreaking possibility of being denied entry for a long time,” an Iranian pupil, who was concerned within the letter, advised Al Jazeera, requesting anonymity.

The pupil stated 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 couple of of them have been refused visas, whereas others have chosen to skip visa interviews on the understanding that they’d be denied a visa, the scholar stated.

Prior to the ban, a lot of them would have already undergone in depth safety vetting to acquire a pupil visa.

Apart 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 pupil stated Iranians had been dealing with “collective punishment” by the Trump administration.

“People must not be equated with their governments,” the scholar stated.

“Such blanket measures are neither reasonable nor fair, and they undermine the very principles of justice, academic freedom, and equal opportunity that the United States has long stood for.”

More than 12,300 Iranian college students studied within the US throughout the 2023-2024 tutorial 12 months, up from 10,812 a 12 months earlier, in line with the US State Department.