EXCLUSIVE
Letter called on University of Texas at Austin to denounce ban on Iranians and take ‘immediate legal action’.
A top university in the United States has declined to oppose President Donald Trump’s travel ban on Iran after a call to action by its Iranian students.
In a letter last month, the group of students called on the University of Texas at Austin to denounce Trump’s “sweeping and discriminatory” ban, take “immediate legal action” against the measure, and reaffirm support for Iranian students and scholars.
The letter, authored “on behalf of the newly admitted Iranian students”, was sent to interim university 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 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 said.
In the letter, the group noted that the university’s department 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 said.
“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 through a public records request.
Despite the students’ plea, neither the university nor Davis have made any public comment on the ban.
Davis’s office did not resp