1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

As a constituent who values education and innovation, I want to urge you to protect Ohio’s academic institutions and immigrant communities. While countries like France and Germany are recruiting U.S. researchers through funded fellowships and streamlined visa programs, we’re watching some of our brightest minds — including scientists from NASA and Yale — seek refuge abroad. They’re responding to rising political interference, threats to academic freedom, and hostile immigration policies. Ohio’s universities and workforce depend on immigrants and international scholars. If we want to attract and retain talent, we must push back on policies that chill dissent or create fear in our classrooms. Let’s not follow the national trend toward exclusion. Instead, I hope you’ll champion policies that ensure Ohio is known as a place where people — no matter their background — can learn, contribute, and thrive. I urge you to publicly affirm our state’s commitment to welcoming researchers and immigrant communities, and to oppose any state legislation that echoes national efforts to criminalize protest, suppress free expression, or target immigrants. Thank you for your leadership and for standing up for the values that move our state forward.