The strict new immigration decree of the United States for people from Irak, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen (or with a passport from one of these countries) severely limits their mobility and should be revoked.

Science is dependent on the mobility of researchers across national borders. This allows universities to attract scientific talent from all over the world. Not only does this travel ban affect on a personal level the scientists and students who are currently working or studying in the United States. The American scientific community is also cut off from and for scientific talent.

Moreover, the contacts of researchers who are working in the Netherlands are also limited because of the decree. Because some of them are not able to move freely, they cannot attend conferences or seminars, for example.

The Dutch universities support the call from the European Universities Association (EUA) to revoke the travel ban.