Dear Lori,
In last week’s issue, amid a densely packed recap of concerning U.S. presidential executive actions, I sounded a hopeful note that we, as international educators, have a powerful story to tell. Here’s an opportunity—amid a lot of worry and uncertainty—to send a unified message to the new Congress that international students are an important component of our society, our economy, and our global competitiveness. Yes, your federal elected officials have a lot of pressing concerns, but that doesn’t mean our issues aren’t important! Share with your members of Congress that international students make critical contributions to your community and the country's economic competitiveness, national security, and workforce development .
As NAFSA strives to be a source of useful, factual, and timely information, we’ve updated our web resources on the January 29 executive order, “Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism” to include a “Some Questions and Responses” section at the end of the page which may be useful. Recall that this order directs relevant federal agencies submit a report to the president within 60 days that includes recommendations for “familiarizing institutions of higher education with the grounds for inadmissibility.” The intent is to provide institutions with support to “monitor and report activities by alien students and staff.”
NAFSA also has a new web page that compiles relevant links and information related to executive actions under the Trump-Vance administration touching on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and gender. These orders represent a significant shift in federal policies related to DEI and gender issues, emphasizing "traditional" definitions of sex and gender, and rolling back previous initiatives aimed at promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
We also continue to monitor the dismantling of USAID and the inconsistent access to funds for some federally funded programs. The USAID.gov website now carries this single message: “As of February 7 at midnight, all USAID direct hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave globally, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs.” The media is reporting that a lawsuit has been filed in response to the slashing of the USAID workforce and the freezing of almost all foreign assistance.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Keep finding ways to fortify your soul and take care of yourself and your community. More from me soon.
Best,
Erica
Erica Stewart
Senior Director, Advocacy & Strategic Communications
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
