Harvard president hits back at Trump's immigration ban: 'Nearly half of the deans of Harvard's schools are immigrants'

Harvard President Drew Faust criticized President Donald Trump's immigration ban in an email to the Harvard community on Sunday, The Harvard Crimson reported.

"Nearly half of the deans of Harvard's schools are immigrants — from India, China, Northern Ireland, Jamaica, and Iran," she wrote. "Benefiting from the talents and energy, the knowledge and ideas of people from nations around the globe is not just a vital interest of the University; it long has been, and it fully remains, a vital interest of our nation."

The email urged the Trump administration, Congress, and the court system to reconsider the order.

Faust's words come amid backlash over an executive order signed on Friday that bars citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen from entering the US for 90 days. Opponents of the ban worry that the temporary travel ban will turn into a permanent ban. At least two Harvard affiliates have been blocked from entering the US since the order was issued, according to The Crimson. ...