The Department of French, Italian, and Comparative Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee states our unequivocal condemnation of the immigration and travel ban enacted by President Trump on January 27, 2017, and affirms our support for our students and colleagues affected by it.
Members of our department are citizens of the countries affected by this executive order; others are citizens of other Muslim-majority countries of the Middle East or scholars who frequently travel there. These are full members of our department and our university: professors, teaching assistants, scholars, and friends. They belong here. The travel restriction interferes with their work as intellectuals and with their freedom of movement as human beings.
We likewise affirm our support for the many other affected students, faculty, and staff throughout the UW System and across the country, and we call on our university leadership and elected officials to speak out in support of them and to work to ensure their rights.
Adapted from a statement circulated by our colleagues in the Department of Linguistics, January 29, 2017.