History Department Statement on Mistreatment of Palestinian Scholar Dr. Basil Farraj, Birzeit University

The Department of History at Dartmouth College writes to express our outrage over the mistreatment of a Palestinian scholar invited to speak at our campus. On September 19, 2024, agents of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency detained Dr. Basil Farraj of Birzeit University upon his arrival in Boston. Dr. Farraj was en route to Dartmouth to present his research on prisons in the Middle East and Latin America. Although Dr. Farraj was travelling on a valid visa and presented proof that he had been invited to speak at Dartmouth, customs agents detained him, seized his phone, revoked his visa, and disallowed him from entering the country. We condemn the Agency's treatment of Dr. Farraj as a blatant violation of academic freedom. We also call on the U.S. government to issue Dr. Farraj a new visa so he may resume his scholarly work. The survival of academic freedom at American universities depends on protecting the rights of all scholars, regardless of their national origin or the subject of their research.