Worcester Polytechnic Insitute has joined 30 other colleges across the country in opposition to President Donald Trump’s proposed travel ban on those living in six primarily Muslim countries.
The college said this week it filed an amicus brief, a type of advisory document, to join Harvard, MIT and other colleges that have also come out against the proposed ban
In the brief, the colleges and universities argue their missions and reach are global; they educate, employ, conduct research, and collaborate with students, faculty, and scholars from all over the world, WPI said.
WPI General Counsel David Bunis said the school and its partners are being outspoken on the proposed ban so that international students can continue to study at American colleges.
WPI has about 1,400 international students this school year, representing about one-fourth of the whole student body. That includes 30 students from Iran and Libya, two of the six countries included in Trump’s proposed ban.
The school said last week that applications from prospective overseas students are up so far this year.
Trump’s first attempt at a ban in January temporarily — which was later rejected in federal court — prevented two WPI students from entering the U.S., according to the school.
