A college in Massachusetts is standing up to President Donald Trump by offering a scholarship to students that come from one of the seven predominately Muslim countries recently placed on an immigration ban list.
Wheaton College’s “refugee scholarship” will prioritize students seeking immediate entrance to the U.S., in the hope that Trump’s ban will be lifted soon. The normal $60 application fee will also be waived for those students.
“The Wheaton Refugee Scholarship will cover all costs of attendance and will be awarded to a refugee student from a war-torn nation,” the school announced in a statement on Tuesday. “Selection preference will be for a qualified student from one of the seven nations outlined in the president’s recent executive order on immigration: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.”
Trump’s ban on refugees led to protests at airports across the nation. Even within the State Department, 900 employees formally denounced the president’s actions.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) also condemned Trump’s order.
“Governor Baker opposes applying religious tests to the refugee system and believes that focusing on countries’ predominant religions will not make the U.S. any safer, as terrorists have demonstrated a determination to strike from all corners of the world,” a spokesperson told The Boston Globe.
Along with a temporary ban on visitors from the seven countries, Trump’s executive order includes an indefinite ban on Syrians seeking shelter in the U.S.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh (D) and his staff are already trying to figure out how to use City Hall as an “emergency shelter” for undocumented immigrants.
“There are people around the world who have nothing to do with ISIS, and [Trump is] trying to make them all the same,” Walsh told the Boston Globe.
For its part, Wheaton says people from the affected countries “have faced extraordinary hardships and we believe it is our responsibility as global educators to make this commitment at this time.”