Morgan State University President David Wilson held a meeting with international students Thursday afternoon, where he condemned President Donald Trump’s travel ban on seven Muslim countries.
Wilson said he was “disappointed” in Trump’s order, which went into effect January 27.
“That [executive] order does not represent who we are as a country,” Wilson said. “It doesn’t represent who we are as higher education institutions in this country, and it certainly does not represent who we are here at Morgan.”
Wilson continued by encouraging students to act with care when making international travel. He also said a student was recently denied re-entry to the U.S. from Yemen, one of the seven countries currently listed on the travel ban.
“His roommate made arrangements for him to reside in Saudi Arabia, where he is now,” Wilson said of the student, whose name he did not disclose. “He and I have been in communication with each other, and he did go to the American Embassy and was told that he should wait for 90 days to reapply for entry.”
Some students from Kuwait, who wanted to remain anonymous, shared their concerns on the affects of the travel ban. One even said she’s scared to share her opinion on social media out of fear of being sent back to her country.
“If I support Syria, if I say ‘stop killing people,’ I might be the one who’s looked at as an enemy in America,” she said. “They might send me away just because I follow [a certain page] or retweet something.”
“Even if it’s a good idea like ‘we need peace in the world, the way America needs peace,’ I don’t know if it will be looked at in another way,” she added.
Wilson and Kevin Banks, the vice president of Student Affairs, said they remain committed to protecting everyone at Morgan, regardless of race and religion.
“The term ‘sanctuary campus’ is being thrown around and there are people wondering whether they should call themselves a sanctuary campus or a sanctuary city,” Banks said. “This has always been a sanctuary campus; we’re going to be here to support and listen to you, and do as much as we can to make sure you get through this.”
