Over 1,100 Penn students and alumni have signed an open letter criticizing President Donald Trump’s recent executive order on immigration.
Trump’s executive order prohibits citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the United States for 90 days and suspends the admission of all refugees for 120 days. The letter condemns these actions, stating that Trump’s policies seek to “displace our classmates and separate us from our teachers and friends.”
The letter takes its title from Penn’s motto: Laws without morals are useless. It states that when the freedoms of expression, association and belief are threatened, people must take action.
Addressed to all senators, representatives and public officials, the letter urges officials to “work to block and overturn [this order] and other policies that run counter to American values.”
The letter states that signatories “are students, faculty, scientists, administrators, and alumni” of Penn.
These signatories are not alone in their criticism of the immigration policy. On Monday night, Penn President Amy Gutmann also condemned the immigration bans, calling them “injurious to our work and inimical to our values.”
The open letter concludes with a call to action directed at the public officials to whom the letter is addressed.
“We are ready to fulfill our civic responsibilities and protest injustice,” the letter reads. “We hope you are, too.”
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