Harvard President Larry Bacow Is ‘Disheartened’ by Immigration Rules

Harvard University President Larry Bacow published a “welcome message” this week to the Harvard community in which he condemned immigration policies under President Donald Trump.

In a letter written to the Harvard community to kick off the new academic year, Harvard University President Larry Bacow made room for criticisms of America’s current immigration policy.

Bacow argued that current immigration restrictions should bother those who believe in the American dream. Bacow argued that current immigration policy favors those who are educated, fluent in English, and have demonstrable skills.

Not just as a university president, but as the son of refugees and as a citizen who deeply believes in the American dream, I am disheartened by aspects of the proposed new criteria for people seeking to enter our country. They privilege those who are already educated, who already speak English, and who already have demonstrable skills. They fail to recognize others who yearn for a better future and who are willing to sacrifice and work hard to achieve it. Had these same rules been in place when my parents each immigrated, I doubt they would have been admitted, and I would not be writing this message today.

Bacow argued that all “patriots” should be critical of America’s shortcomings. In this case, the shortcoming is seemingly any restriction on immigration. Bacow argues that “to be a patriot is to be a critic.”

My parents, like most immigrants, loved this country in part because they had the experience of growing up someplace else. They appreciated its aspirations of freedom and opportunity for all, and never took these ideals for granted. But they were also not uncritical of their new home. They wanted it to be the very best place it could be, a goal to which we all should aspire. Indeed, it is the role of great universities to foster an environment that encourages loving criticism of our country and our world. Through our scholarship and education, through our encouragement of free inquiry and debate, we ask not just why things are as they are, but how they might be better.

Harvard is currently awaiting a verdict in a pending case which alleges that the university discriminates against Asian-American applicants. The case revealed that Harvard only invites Asian-American males to apply to Harvard if they score 30 points higher on the PSAT than Asian-American females.

Stay tuned to Breitbart News for more campus updates.