RA Working Group Statement in Support of International Workers

The GEO condemns the anti-immigration rhetoric that has become pervasive in the current presidential election. As an organization of both international and domestic grad student workers, immigrants are an essential part of our community. Anti-immigrant policies and messaging from our politicians harm our members, the students we teach, our workplaces, and all of higher education.

The United States has a long history of using immigration status and racism to exploit and divide workers. Today’s immigration policies continue that trend by targeting international students and workers. Nonetheless, international graduate students have been considered cheap labor by American universities. Employment regulations limit their paid working time to no more than 20 hours per week, but numerous graduate students must overwork to fulfill their advisors’ requirements, without compensation.

From the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act to the 2020 Proclamation 10043 signed by President Trump, Chinese immigrants have been portrayed as a threat to U.S. security. The proclamation results in discriminatory actions such as unreasonable interrogations at U.S. Customs and Border Protection and valid visa holders being denied re-entry without explanation or evidence. Similarly, Iranian students face frequent F1 visa rejections, prolonged delays lasting over a year, and single-entry restrictions that prevent them from returning home during their studies. Their families also often face visa denials when attempting to visit. The uncertainty surrounding potential changes to immigration laws adds to their stress and creates an environment more prone to discrimination.

Since the implementation of stricter immigration policies, more and more international students are afraid of traveling abroad to visit their families. During most of the academic year and holidays, most international students have no choice but to stay on campus. Advisors are aware of this and often assume that international students will work all year long. This makes it difficult for international students to refuse unreasonable work demands and makes them more susceptible to discrimination in the workplace.

At UIUC, Research Assistants (RAs) are the most affected by overwork and unreasonable demands from advisors, and being an international RA adds an extra layer of exploitation. Unlike Teaching Assistants (TAs), RAs lack the protection of a labor union to collectively address these poor working conditions. In an effort to change this situation, RAs are now pushing for unionization. The success of this campaign will not only empower RAs to hold advisors accountable and demand fair compensation for their work, but it will also strengthen the graduate labor union. This unified group of RAs, TAs, GAs, and PGAs will have greater power to negotiate better contracts with the university administration in the coming years.

The members of GEO call for an end to anti-immigrant rhetoric in US politics, the lifting of restrictive immigration policies, and unionization for all graduate workers. The university works because international students do!