In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful
The Muslim Bar Association of Chicago unequivocally condemns the federal government’s recent revocation of visa statuses for students and recent graduates from Northwestern University, University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. These actions, taken without due process, represent a grave abuse of power and a chilling violation of international students’ First Amendment rights.
Freedom of speech is a constitutional guarantee for all individuals on U.S. soil, regardless of immigration status. Freedom of speech includes the right to speak out against human rights abuses, to criticize foreign policy, and to stand in solidarity with oppressed peoples. The arbitrary revocation of student visas, under the pretext of antisemitism accusations, not only tramples fundamental rights upon which this nation was built but dangerously distorts the true meaning of antisemitism itself. It is heinous to weaponize such a serious and painful history for political ends.
Universities must remain bastions of intellectual freedom, not spaces where dissent is met with intimidation and punishment. University leaders must defend their students and push back against federal overreach, because silence in the face of injustice is complicity.
These actions are not only unjust, they are un-American. The apparent targeting of Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian students raises urgent concerns about racial and religious profiling. We demand that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State immediately halt these illegal deportations, reinstate all revoked visas, and provide full transparency around the decisions made. These agencies must be held accountable for violating constitutional rights and due process.
MBA Chicago stands in unwavering solidarity with the affected students and supports the legal challenges against this dangerous precedent. We call on the legal, academic, and civic communities to join us in standing against this blatant abuse of power and preserve the rule of law.