UMass Bans Iranians From Classes Which Could Help Them Build Nuclear Bombs

UMass Bans Iranians From Classes Which Could Help Them Build Nuclear Bombs

In a policy dated Feb. 6, the university said that it will no longer admit Iranian nationals to a range of programs: chemical engineering, chemistry, electrical and computer engineering, mechanical and industrial engineering, microbiology, physics, and polymer science and engineering. The university cites as its rationale a sanctions law passed in 2012 that restricts Iranian citizens seeking to prepare for a career in that country’s energy or nuclear science sectors from getting visas to study in the United States.

The relevant text of the law cited by UMass in its policy states, “The Secretary of State shall deny a visa to, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall exclude from the United States, any alien who is a citizen of Iran that the Secretary of State determines seeks to enter the United States to participate in course work at an institution of higher education… to prepare the alien for a career in the energy sector of Iran or in nuclear science or nuclear engineering or a related field in Iran.”

“Colleges and universities in the U.S. have found that Iranian students who travel abroad during their studies are being denied reentry by the Department of Homeland Security as a result of these and other regulations,” the UMass policy states. “There are significant penalties, both civil and criminal, that could potentially impact faculty, staff and students, for violations of this Act and the related regulations and restrictions.”[…]

“Universities seem to be taking this act into their own hands and not allowing any Iranian students to come and study, whereas the act itself is conditional upon returning to work in certain fields — which the State Department itself determines through visa applications,” said Leila Austin, the executive director of the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans.

“What a lot of schools have done is they issue an advisory to students — ‘if you apply to certain programs, keep this in mind’ — and some have even said this may have a bearing on our [admissions] decision-making process,” said Jamal Abdi, the policy director for the National Iranian American Council. But UMass stands out as having “taken it upon themselves to actually enforce this policy.” Keep reading