PCS Immigration Policy Memo

In the summer of 2020, four members of Princeton Citizen Scientists convened to write a policy memo in response to newly proposed immigration restrictions for graduate students studying in the United States.

The memo available for download above was published on October 13th, 2020 and was sent to federal representatives across the states. Below is an excerpt of the message that was included in emails that went to senators and state representatives:

We are members of the Princeton Citizen Scientists, a graduate student organization at Princeton University. We are writing to express our concerns regarding the US government’s ongoing efforts to impose immigration restrictions on foreign students and scholars at US higher education institutions. …

Policy efforts targeting Chinese international students claim to address risks of foreign espionage in the form of IP theft. These purported risks are not compatible with our experiences as practitioners of scientific research. While we condemn recent changes, our memo argues more broadly that immigration restrictions against graduate students of any nationality will harm domestic research efforts without serving national security interests. …

Foreign students are vital members of our academic communities.”