Protestor's Rights

[Natalia M Barbour]

Dear MIT Postdocs,

We have been staying in direct contact with International Scholar's Office about international postdoc worries and concerns about taking part in protests or using social media for protest-related causes as this may negatively affect visa renewal processes. Below is some guidance from the International Scholar's Office:

"Given current protest activities occurring around the U.S., you may have questions regarding whether or not international students and scholars could face visa difficulties if they participate in protest marches/events, or post political viewpoints on social media accounts.  For guidance on participation, please see ACLU's "Protestor's Rights."  Note that an arrest, even if criminal charges are not filed or are dismissed, could impact your interaction with immigration officials, and could negatively impact your immigration status, or your ability to enter or remain in the U.S.

As you consider whether to share your views on social media, please keep in mind that, in recent years, government agencies have expanded review of social media accounts of foreign nationals. The International Students Office has posted information on the ISO website detailing some of these initiatives:

  *   USCBP Issues Directive on Border Searches of Electronic Devices: http://iso.mit.edu/news/uscbp-issues-directive-border-searches-electronic-devices
  *   U.S Department of State to Collect Social Media Information from US Visa Applicants: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/20190604_collection-of-social-media-identifiers-from-U.-S.-visa-applicants.html"

Secondly, we wanted to make sure you were aware of a great article on your rights as an immigrant as it relates to protests: https://www.boundless.com/blog/rights-immigrant-protests/

Finally, if you have any questions about your particular situation, please don't hestiate to reach out to the International Scholar's Office directly: http://web.mit.edu/scholars

Best,
MIT Postdoc Association

Natalia

Regards,
Natalia Barbour, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Associate, MIT-DUSP
Corresponding Secretary
MIT Postdoctoral Association
nataliabarbour.com<https://www.nataliabarbour.com/> | @natalia_barbour
(she/her)


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.mit.edu/pipermail/mit-postdocs/attachments/20200629/218b1698/attachment.html