Statement from UB President Satish K. Tripathi regarding the executive order suspending entry to the U.S. by citizens of Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo is assessing the executive order and is actively monitoring the order’s potential impact on UB students, faculty, staff and visiting scholars who are from countries cited in the order.

Until there is clarity and legal analysis of the executive order, the university is advising that affected members of the university community monitor this evolving situation to assess how they may be impacted.  The university will provide updates to the university community as the situation becomes clearer and stands ready to provide support and advice to members of our university community who may be affected by any changes in immigration law.

UB is an international community. And since our university’s founding in 1846, UB has been enriched by students, faculty and staff from around the world.  

Despite current and pending executive actions affecting access to the U.S. by persons from designated countries, UB is a welcoming campus for students, faculty and visitors from across the globe, and is committed to remaining so.

It is important to keep in mind the valuable and far-reaching contributions our international students, faculty and staff make to UB’s research, education and engagement missions. UB’s international community benefits all of us, enhancing the diversity of our community, our global learning opportunities and the richness of our cultural and intellectual life.

Additional background:

• 122 UB students, primarily from Iran, are from the countries affected by the executive order.  The university intends to be in contact with each student to offer support and guidance as the spring semester begins next week at UB. In addition, the university will reach out to visiting scholars and permanent residents from the affected countries.
• The university is currently assessing the impact of the executive order on faculty, staff and visiting scholars from the countries cited in the executive order.
• As a matter of policy and practice, at UB, the privacy of student educational records is protected pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). 
• A Jan. 24 resolution by the SUNY Board of Trustees affirms SUNY policy that its university police departments do not participate in the enforcement of federal immigration law unless compelled to do so by court order or other legal mandate.  This is consistent with guidance issued recently by the New York State Attorney General regarding the participation of local law enforcement in federal immigration enforcement.
  
• At UB, University Police does not and shall not routinely inquire about an individual’s immigration status.
  
• At UB, University Police does not make inquiries into the immigration status of students, faculty, staff or our visitors unless there has been an arrest. 
• It is important to note that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policy characterizes colleges and universities as “sensitive locations”—meaning enforcement actions should not occur unless necessitated by extraordinary circumstances.