The Negative Impact of Proposed H.R. 2147 on UCLA's Campus and Community
Disclaimer: Statements should not be taken as a position of the University, or the campus, as a whole, and do not necessarily reflect the views of every member of the Unit.
We write to express our condemnation of H.R. 2147, provisionally termed the “Stop Chinese Communist Prying by Vindicating Intellectual Safeguards in Academia Act (or STOP CCP VISAs Act),” which would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit the admission of Chinese nationals as nonimmigrant students, and for other purposes. If approved, the bill would deny U.S. visas for all students and researchers from the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
We maintain that international exchanges with students and scholars from the PRC is in the vital interest of UCLA, the UC campus system, and the United States of America. The UC system excels and collaborates with many universities globally. H.R. 2147 would open the floodgates to end years of international scholarly exchange that makes possible research collaborations, student travel study, innovations, and advancements. Whether engaging with and generating knowledge about the Humanities, Social Sciences, or Sciences, higher education is one of the best avenues available for generating understanding of our shared humanity—past, present, and future—and for generating good will toward the US. Higher education has long been and continues to be one of our most effective forms of soft power diplomacy. Exposing students and scholars from the PRC to our open exchange of ideas in the classroom, on campus, and in the community is a powerful vehicle for changing hearts and minds, as well as for fostering and sustaining stable US-China relations. While we acknowledge occasional concerns regarding technological espionage, H.R. 2147 casts its net far too broadly. The great majority of students and researchers from the PRC in our educational institutions pursue fields that do not raise national security concerns at all.
Furthermore, H.R. 2147 instills xenophobia and racism targeting Chinese people, histories, and communities. A long history of anti-Chinese sentiment against laborers, women, and families is a part of American history and we urge Congress to refrain from reproducing such violence again. H.R. 2147 would have negative repercussions for Asian American families and relatives, international scholars and teachers, and students who are engaged in global dialogues and programs. H.R. 2147 does nothing to serve the interests of American universities and colleges. Instead, the proposed bill will send a message that encourages violence, surveillance, and harassment against Asian and Asian American people.
American core values of liberty and freedom are foundational to the Constitution of the United States. The nation-state’s role in international arenas has historically sought to promote the spirit of embracing people from different places, nationalities, cultures, religions, and perspectives. Their ideas, industriousness, and innovations have helped make this nation great. The contributions of Chinese Americans and immigrants from China to America have been myriad, spanning the sciences, law, medicine, the humanities, the arts, and every other facet of American life. International students, scholars, and faculty from China have deeply enriched the intellectual landscape of UCLA and continue to contribute to our campus in important ways.
While H.R. 2147 is falsely framed as a bill to protect American interests, it is, at its core, “un-American” in its spirit. If adopted, it would have a catastrophic impact on our community, our university, and our identity as a nation. It would, of course, have a particularly negative impact on so many members of the Asian American community. H.R. 2147 and the harmful spirit behind this bill must be forcefully rejected.
Signed:
UCLA Asia Pacific Center
UCLA Center for Buddhist Studies
UCLA Center for Chinese Studies
UCLA Center for Southeast Asian Studies
Disclaimer: This statement should not be taken as a position of the University, or the campus, as a whole, and do not necessarily reflect the views of every member of the Unit.