(WASHINGTON)— President Trump’s decision to impose a total travel ban on nationals from 12 countries, and restrict travel and student visas for nationals from seven additional countries, will profoundly sabotage the longstanding place of the United States as a beacon for intellectual and cultural exchange with the world and is a further accelerant in the administration’s campaign to undercut and intimidate colleges and universities, PEN America said today.
PEN America and the Artist at Risk Connection are deeply concerned about the impact that the travel bans (and any subsequent blanket restriction of visas) will have on artistic, cultural and academic communities.
Hadar Harris, managing director of PEN America’s Washington, D.C. office, said, “Travel bans don’t make anyone more safe. In reality, they destabilize the world by creating barriers to the free exchange of ideas and culture. A core element of free speech is the right to receive information and ideas. By sabotaging freedom of movement, we undermine such exchanges. Travel bans are an autocratic move that reinforce a xenophobic agenda, inhibit critical thinking, and narrow world views.
This travel ban upends our commitment to people seeking to study or teach, create art or perform in cultural venues, write books or report freely, or simply to visit or reunite with family. The White House action is another salvo in the attack on higher education, drastically diminishing opportunities for American students to learn from students from other countries and cutting off those same opportunities for students from abroad.”
Julie Trébault, executive director of the Artists at Risk Connection said: “This renewed travel ban is a grave threat to international cultural exchange and freedom of expression. By denying entry to artists and cultural practitioners solely based on their nationality, the U.S. government is erecting barriers that stifle creativity, censor voices, and sever long-standing bonds of artistic solidarity; an impact we have felt for years following the administration’s first travel ban. ARC rejects this discriminatory order and calls on the U.S. government to uphold its obligations to human rights, artistic freedom, and cultural dialogue.”
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
About the Artists at Risk Connection
Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) is an international organization committed to promoting and advancing the right to artistic freedom worldwide. Founded in 2017, ARC works to protect artists and cultural workers who are at risk because of their creative expression, often connected to their identities or roles within their communities. By providing vital resources and support, ARC helps artists at risk overcome challenges like persecution, censorship, threats, and violence from both state and non-state actors—whether for their artistic expression or the broader impact they have on cultural, social, and political issues. Learn more at artistsatriskconnection.org
Contact: Suzanne Trimel, [email protected], (201) 247-5057