Thank you, Governor Lamont and Attorney General Tong for pursuing this important legal action in support of international students and higher education in the State of Connecticut.

We are very proud of the University of Connecticut as a multi-cultural and global higher education institution. Our students come from more than 100 nations. They come to Connecticut to fulfill their educational dreams. They come to experience America.

This ICE directive is an attack on our institutional values and targets members of the community that are a long way from home and particularly vulnerable. It will seriously disrupt students’ academic progress. It will cause them financial hardship. It is already causing deep emotional pain, for them and their families. And, it sends a signal to young people all over the world that they are not welcome in the United States.

This ICE directive is mean spirited and intended to cause harm. It’s also deeply un-American.

Today’s legal action and the outrage in our State and throughout the country are important reminders to our international students that they are deeply valued and supported. It also sends a critical message—the United States and the State of Connecticut are much stronger because of our diversity and global reach.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.