Immigration ban marks new role for student activists
As President Donald Trump signs one oppressive executive order after another, silence has become complicity in the abuse of marginalized people. Though Trump’s executive order effectively banning the immigration of peaceful people from seven Muslim-majority countries has been met with mixed success, it reveals this administration’s intent to stigmatize and quarantine already marginalized people — namely Muslims — over the next four years.
As of fall 2016, 24.1 percent of USC’s student population is international. On college campuses in particular, diversity on the basis of race, faith and of course, nationality, is rampant. Intellectual innovation, discussion and community ultimately rely on this diversity. Thus, silence among students, especially those with the privilege of not being discriminately attacked by the Trump administration, is no longer acceptable.
Within its first week, the executive order left numerous students attending U.S. colleges separated from their families, detained in various airports and concerned about how they would return to their campuses and attend school.
Trump’s concerning treatment of Americans on the basis of nationality and identity ultimately reveals the extent to which privilege increasingly comes with obligation. It is crucial for students who are not experiencing this fear to actively take steps to support and fight for the rights of their peers who are being oppressed. This is primarily because they can afford to; students with the privilege of confirmed status in this country have far less at stake when they express opposition to the government.
Within USC, the immediate response to the ban on immigrants from Muslim-majority countries by the administration is encouraging. Last week, Provost Michael Quick issued a memorandum titled “Supporting Our International Community” on behalf of President C. L. Max Nikias and the administration at large. The memorandum did not condemn the immigration restrictions outright, but expressed strong support for USC’s international community and the right of students of all backgrounds and nationalities to attend USC.
USC’s Office of International Services has conveyed similar sentiments and organized a meeting with an immigration attorney for affected students. It bodes well that the university not only recognizes the power of diversity but also actively works to protect this diversity, as a means to broaden academic and cultural horizons and foster empathetic citizenship.
The focus then shifts to the actions that USC students can take to support their peers. It may not feel like individual contributions, whether by donating money or sharing sentiments on social media, make a difference.
But there exists a wide spectrum of ways to get involved, from showing up to protests in solidarity to contributing to the American Civil Liberties Union and immigration law firms. Students should consider how their own social privilege — or lack thereof — plays into their ability to mitigate the damaging effects of the executive order. When it comes to showing up at protests, or even publicly opposing the immigration ban, they don’t face threats of detainment or deportation. Organizations such as the ACLU, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights and numerous others have volunteer opportunities and donation pages. At USC, the Muslim Student Union and USC Meals 4 Refugees have hosted numerous solidarity events.
As of this week, the executive order is entangled in legal complications. Sanctuary cities and universities across the nation are refusing to cooperate while the White House remains steadfast. Ultimately, the situation remains volatile for students from the seven countries involved, and silence from students with the privilege of being unaffected by the order is not only immoral, but also deeply damaging to academia. Diversity is a hallmark of higher education, and it is the responsibility of not only the administration but also students to protect it.