On September 15th, the federal government will initiate sweeping new international student policies that impose new burdens and precarity on international grad workers, limiting admission periods to four years and requiring international students to leave and re-enter the country or pay more than four-hundred dollars to apply for an extension of stay.
This is part of an escalating assault on international and immigrant workers to create fear, repress political speech, and embolden rising authoritarianism. ICE raids continue to threaten our community in Chicago, while peer universities across the country have conceded to devastating settlements with the federal government that undermine the rights of international workers and threaten the future of higher education.
These rising attacks exacerbate the already precarious situation of international workers at UChicago. Without universal just cause and due process protections against unfair discipline and dismissal, ordinary disciplinary investigations impose the additional risk of arbitrary, immediate deportation for international graduate workers on a regular basis.
As GSU-UE approaches our second contract fight, graduate workers have joined together to say: a fair union contract must protect international workers. A supermajority of graduate workers listed international worker protections as a top-priority contract issue. Fair workplace protections mean protections for all, guaranteeing international workers the right to finish their degree and complete their work with stability.
This fight is about the future of our workplace: will we become a university that extends rights and security to all, or capitulate to authoritarian attacks? UChicago has the resources to protect our community. University administration must use the resources at its disposal to defend workers under attack.
We, the undersigned graduate workers of the University of Chicago, demand the following:
International workers shall have the right to finish their degree regardless of visa status. Each department and program should provide a clear pathway and guidelines for international students to complete their degree requirements outside the US where at all possible.
An International Worker Defense Fund to provide free legal support to international workers for legal consultations and representation in immigration proceedings, as well as cover expenses related to visa processing and extensions of stay.
Protections against federal agents such as DHS, ICE, and FBI across campus, including restricting federal agents from non-public areas and prohibiting assistance to federal agents in executing immigration enforcement.
Stronger safeguards for all graduate workers when engaging with the Office of International Affairs. These include, but are not limited to, a clear timeline for timely responses to student inquiries, clear processes for changing OIA advisors, and accountability for incorrect information distributed by OIA.
Expanded protections against unfair discipline and discharge that extend just cause and due process protections to include discipline for academic and code of conduct reasons.
