[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 89 (Tuesday, May 23, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E703]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            RECOGNIZING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AND SCHOLARS

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 23, 2017

  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of international 
students, scholars, and the U.S. institutions of higher education they 
attend who have been unfairly penalized by the Trump Administration's 
unlawful efforts to limit travel to our country from several Muslim-
majority countries.
  Among many faults, the President's travel ban fails to take into 
account the vital contribution international students, scholars and 
their families make when we welcome them to this great country. This, 
and the many other efforts undertaken by this administration to 
restrict access to visas, does not make our country safer, but 
undermines the valuable diplomatic, economic and cultural benefits that 
come from creating a more welcoming and diverse nation.
  International students contribute to the economic well-being of the 
United States. According to NAFSA: Association of International 
Educators, during the 2015-2016 academic year, international students 
and their families supported 400,000 jobs and contributed nearly $33 
billion to the U.S. economy. In my district alone, during the 2015-2016 
academic year, 3,724 international students and their families 
contributed $120.3 million, supporting 797 jobs.
  But this is just the immediate impact--the long-term effect of 
bringing talented minds from all over the world to our universities, 
many of whom go on to live and work and contribute to the United 
States, is immeasurable. When we close doors to immigrants, students, 
scholars, and travelers from all over the world, we close doors to our 
future. And when we particularly target individuals based on race or 
ethnicity, we not only show ourselves to be afraid of the world, we 
weaken our own security by cultivating enemies rather than friends.
  We should not back away from maintaining an open and welcoming nation 
and we will continue to stand for the universal principles that bring 
students and scholars from all over the world to study in this great 
nation.

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