TASSA is Outraged with President Trump's Immigration Decision

The Turkish American Scientists and Scholars Association (TASSA) would like to express its disappointment and deep concern about the Executive Order (Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorists Entry into the United States) signed by President Trump on January 27, 2017. This Executive Order is specifically directed at the admission of foreigners into the United States from certain predominantly Muslim countries either as refugees or for temporary purposes such as education and visits.
America, with her rich history as a nation of immigrants, is a country that made her reputation as a safe haven for those fleeing persecution. Further, the Order is in contradiction to the laws that protect individual rights, religious freedom, and protect against discrimination based on race or ethnicity. These values have been held in the highest esteem.
We are concerned that even in the first day of its implementation, this Executive Order has created havoc for thousands of people who are green card holders, legal visa holders, students, and scholars; all of whom had already gone through a rigorous vetting process. A fuller implementation would only create chaos in the American education system. It would also send the wrong signal to foreign scholars and students that you are only welcome in this country depending on your country of birth. They will be treated as criminals until they prove themselves innocent, as we witnessed on Saturday and Sunday at US airports and around the world. Every year, the American education system relies on thousands of foreign students, scholars, and knowledge workers to enrich our academic life and indeed, to energize our economy and culture. Some of these people are now going to be denied entry to the USA.

Our Nation's experience in the past with such a shortsighted approach to immigration led to dire consequences in two instances:  Jewish people fleeing Europe in World War II and Japanese internment camps. We should know better. We urge the Congress to work with the White House to nullify this order completely and quickly. Ultimately, we believe that our nation's security will not be strengthened but rather weakened by this action.

TASSA Board of Directors

President and Chairman of the Board

Haluk Ünal        Professor, Finance
                                 Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland

Board Members

Ercan Alp                 Staff Member
                                   Argonne National Laboratory
Bülent Basol           Founder and Chief Technology Officer
                                  EncoreSolar
Ayse Imrohoroglu  Professor of Finance and Business Economics
                                   Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California
Aydoğan Özcan      Chancellor's Professor and HHMI Professor
                                   Electrical Engineering, UCLA
Füsun Özgüner       Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
                                   Ohio State University
Candan Tamerler   Wesley Cramer Professor
                                   Mechanical Engineering Dpt. Unv. of Kansas
Mehmet Toner        Helen Andrus Benedict Professor, Biomedical Engineering
                                   Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and
                                   Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.
Selim Ünlü              Professor
                                   Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University

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TASSA, Baskan Trump'in göçmenlerle ilgili kararini protesto ediyor:

ABD'de yasayan Türk-Amerikan Bilim Insanlari Birligi (TASSA), son günlerde ABD'de yasanmakta olan kriz ile ilgili olarak su açiklamayi yapmistir:
Bizler, Türk-Amerikan Bilim Insanlari Birligi olarak, Baskan Trump tarafindan 27 Ocak 2017'de imzalanan ve çogunlukla Müslümanlarin yasadigi bazi ülkelerden göçmen veya multeci olarak gelenlerin ülkeye sokulmasini engelleyen "Baskan Karari"ni büyük bir hayal kirikligi ve endise ile karsilamaktayiz.
Amerika Birlesik Devletleri, bir göçmenler ülkesi olarak zengin tarihi ile, görüslerinden veya inançlarindan dolayi yargilanmaktan kaçan multeciler için daima güvenli bir siginak olmustur. Bu alinan karar, Amerikan anayasasina aykiri olmakla beraber, hepimizin deger verdigi ve el üstünde tuttugu özgürlük, esitlik, bireysel insan haklari, firsat esitligi ve demokrasi gibi degerlere karsidir.

Bu alinan Baskan Karar'i uygulanmaya basladigi ilk günden itibaren yüzlerce insanin hayatini olumsuz etkilemis, ülke içindeki ve Dünya'nin dört bir yanindaki hava alanlarinda karmasa ve korku yaratmis, yüzlerce kisinin, ögrencinin ve akademisyenin ülkeye girmesini engellemistir. Tam olarak hayata geçmesi ile birlikte, bu karar Amerikan egitim sisteminde bir kaos yaratacaktir vetüm Dünyadaki ögrenci ve akademisyenlere yanlis bir mesaj gönderecek, dogduklari ülkeye bagli olarak belki de ABD'ye kabul edilmeyeceklerini belirtecektir. Bu hafta sonu sahit oldugumuz gibi, geldiklerinde suçsuzluklari ispatlanincaya kadar suçlu muamelesi görecekleridir. Amerikan akademik sistemi her yil ülkemize gelen binlerce ögrencinin katkisina ihtiyaç duymaktadir. Bu kisiler ekonomik ve akademik hayatimiza güç katmakta, ülkeyi kültürel olarak zenginlestirmektedir.

Ülkemizin daha önceki yillarda benzeri konularda yaptigi yanlisliklar felaket getiren sonuçlar dogurmustu. Örnegin, II. Dünya savasi sirasinda Avrupa'dan kacmak isteyen yahudiler geri çevrilmisti. Keza, ABD'de yasayan Japon kökenli vatandaslar toplama kamplarina gönderilmislerdi. Artik benzer hatalari yapmamamiz gerekli.
TASSA olarak tüm seçilmis liderlerin, federal ve eyalet hakimlerinin, sivil toplum ve insan haklari örgütlerinin ve Kongrenin,  biran önce Beyaz Saray ile temasa geçerek bu Baskan Karari'nin geri alinmasi ve tamamen iptal edilmesi için çalismalarini destekliyoruz.

TASSA Yonetim Kurulu Uyeleri