“It’s hard to swallow,” said Lauren Aronson, Director of the Immigration Law Clinic.
Lauren Aronson has spent her career helping others. The Assistant Professor of Professional Practice at LSU’s Law Center, is also the Director of the Immigration Law Clinic.
“I’ve definitely had clients from several of the countries. Some here at LSU and some in my prior work.”
President Trump signed an Executive Order Saturday, barring residents from seven countries, from entering the United States. But Aronson said the travel ban could impact the state and nation’s economy.
“There’s over $175 million that basically go into our states budget because of international students. Now only 118 of those international students are from the seven countries. But you kind of have to think about, what if you are a student from Saudi Arabia or United Arab Emirates, or you’re just any Muslim student or any religious minority or any humanitarian focused person. Are you going to want to come and study in the United States when they have made it such an unwelcome place to so many people? It could really effect our economy significantly, this ban,” Aronson said.
The President of LSU, F. King Alexander, released a statement to the LSU community on Monday afternoon:
“Last week’s Presidential Executive Order affecting the ability of individuals from certain nations to enter the United States has caused significant alarm within the higher education community. Please know that LSU is monitoring the issue and we are engaged with governmental leaders to ensure the protection of our students, faculty and staff. We will continue to provide updates to potentially affected students and employees based on the latest available information.
Academia depends upon the exchange of ideas with colleagues from around the world. In fact, the ability to attract and engage scientists, scholars and students from around the world is one of the reasons American universities are leaders in innovation.
Cultural and intellectual exchange bring significant economic and diplomatic benefits. Faculty and staff from around the world have become part of our university, with many using their unique talents to solve our state’s challenges. And our history is filled with international students who returned home to play pivotal leadership roles in their own nations that ultimately resulted in stronger diplomatic ties with the United States.
For these reasons and many more, our colleagues from the international community are more than simply welcome at LSU – they are respected and valued, and we are appreciative of their contributions to the success of our university.
LSU is committed to preparing globally aware students who are internationally competitive while also attracting the world’s brightest scholars to Louisiana. I’m proud of our university’s progress in meeting both of these goals, and look forward to all we will achieve through our combined efforts.”
