UAW 4811 Statement on Disclosure of Names to Trump Administration

Last week, about 160 students and workers were informed that UC Berkeley had turned over their names to the Department of Education as part of an investigation into campus protest. The Trump administration has made clear its willingness to weaponize the legal system against anyone it perceives to espouse political opinions that run counter to the president’s own. 

Turning over the names of students and workers who have engaged in expressive activity only assists the administration’s efforts to suppress free speech on campus. These actions erode trust in the University, undermine our rights, and put students and workers in real danger. 

Those who have the most to lose – both from the administration’s reckless disinvestment from higher education and from its attacks on its political enemies – are the students and workers. As the Trump administration continues its encroachment on higher education, the University has not only the ability but the obligation to resist this overreach and protect the students and workers who make our university the world-class institution that it is. If it wishes to maintain its standing as a beacon of free inquiry and expression, UC must commit to not releasing any more names to the federal government without consulting the affected parties and take all immediate measures to ensure that these names are not made public.