MLA Statement on Immigration Ban
The Executive Council approved the following statement in February 2017.
The Modern Language Association strongly denounces the executive order on immigration issued by the Trump administration on 27 January 2017. This order temporarily bans citizens of seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States, suspends all refugee admissions, and indefinitely bars the entry of Syrian refugees.
In 2013 the MLA Executive Council approved a Statement on the Importance of Unrestricted Travel for Scholarly Exchange:
The freedom to travel across international borders is enshrined in Article 13(2) of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states, “everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.” That principle is especially important for scholars, researchers, artists, and teachers, whose right to freedom of intellectual exchange may well rest on their ability to travel internationally. Indeed, the freedom to travel is a critical measure of the degree to which a state honors or traduces the principles of an open society; regrettably, it is not uncommon that totalitarian states restrict the movements of their intellectuals precisely to thwart the flow of ideas across national borders.
Today, the Executive Council revisits that statement to reiterate that all people have the right to leave any country, including their own countries, and to return to their countries. By restricting movement across borders, the executive order undermines cultural exchange and limits academic freedom and inquiry. By not exempting travelers with valid visas who were en route to the United States, it puts lives in turmoil. By targeting immigrants regardless of their visa statuses, reasons for travel, or histories of persecution, it threatens the core principles of the United States and risks undermining the Constitution. Moreover, the implementation of this order, without consultation with Congress or the federal agencies that must enforce it, has created confusion, hardship, and distrust.
As an organization of scholars, teachers, students, researchers, and humanities practitioners, the MLA is aware that many of its constituents will suffer deep and lasting harm from these restrictions. The MLA therefore strongly denounces this order, demands that it be rescinded, and urges the administration to pursue border and immigration policies that protect the open exchange of ideas and honor the dignity of all peoples.