OHSU campus
Oregon Health & Science University's main campus in Southwest Portland is home to thousands of professionals and students.
(Mark Graves/The )
Oregon Health & Science University said it will not enforce or cooperate with immigration enforcement activities after the Trump administration's travel ban against seven predominantly Muslim countries.
"OHSU will continue to monitor this situation closely and take appropriate action to protect faculty, staff, students, trainees and visitors," OHSU President Joseph Robertson Jr. said in a statement. "We will not share with the federal government confidential student, patient or employee information related to immigration status."
Among more than 7,000 faculty members, residents, post-doctoral fellows and students at OHSU, 11 are from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen. President Donald Trump's executive order banned travel to the United States from those countries for 90 days, while also suspending all refugee arrivals.
While those 11 people are potentially affected by the ban, none is abroad or detained, said Tamara Hargens-Bradley, a chief spokesperson for OHSU.
The university declined to identify the home nation of the 11 people, citing privacy concerns.
"If you feel targeted or vulnerable in this moment, please know that we stand with you," Robertson said in the statement.
The university recruits from countries around the world, trying to find the best talent. Hargens-Bradley said it's too soon to know how the ban will affect applicants for student, fellow and resident positions.
University staff also collaborate with professionals in other countries.
Everyone is potentially affected by the ban, which has created a toxic climate of fear, Robertson said.
-- Lynne Terry