Senior leadership at Trinity College Dublin have suggested staff and students petition Government Ministers to undertake “an urgent review” of immigration cases in which Palestinians with scholarships to Irish universities have had their visa applications denied.
These instances were described as “deeply concerning” by senior Trinity management in an email sent to the university’s more than 25,000 staff and students, seen by The Irish Times.
Dozens of students from the West Bank and Gaza have had their visa applications denied by the Department of Justice in recent days, despite securing funding to cover tuition, accommodation and living expenses through scholarships provided by various third-level academic institutions.
This has sparked numerous protests outside the Department of Justice on St Stephen’s Green, with an online campaign in support of the Palestinian scholars also gaining traction.
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“These individuals have overcome extraordinary challenges to secure places at Irish universities and, in many cases, have been awarded fully-funded scholarships,” the email from Trinity administrators read.
It continued that “members of our college community who wish to support those impacted by these decisions may wish to contact” local TDs, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan and Minister of State with responsibility for migration Colm Brophy.
It suggested recipients of the email do so “to express concern and to encourage an urgent review of the situation” and did not provide contact details for the two Government Ministers it named.
“Your voices can help reinforce the importance of ensuring that scholarship recipients are able to access the education opportunities that have been made available to them,” the email read.
“At a time when access to education can offer both opportunity and hope, it is particularly distressing to see further obstacles placed in their way,” it continued.
It was signed by both the incoming and outgoing vice-presidents for global engagement, among the most senior leadership positions at the university, whose board voted to cut ties with Israeli universities and companies last June.
They continued: “After everything they have endured, barriers of this nature should not stand in the way of students seeking to pursue their education and, for some, to leave a war zone to continue their studies in safety.”
Trinity has been contacted for further comment.
