Our national affiliate, the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) has issued a 2025 Supplement to the CAUT Advisory on Travel to the United States.
CAUT is strongly recommending that member reconsider traveling to the U.S. at this time, particularly for members who fall into the following categories:
- Citizens or residents of a country identified in media reports as likely to be subject to a travel ban
- Citizens or residents of a country where there are diplomatic tensions with the U.S.
- Travellers with passport stamps evidencing recent travel to countries that may be subject to a travel ban or where there are diplomatic tensions with the U.S.
- Those who have expressed negative opinions about the current U.S. administration or its policies
- Those whose research could be seen as being at odds with the position of the current U.S. administration
- Travellers who identify as transgender or whose travel documents indicate a sex other their sex assigned at birth
This advisory comes on the heels of escalating detentions of those trying to cross the Canada-U.S. border, and the Trump administration’s targeting of marginalized people and attacks on scholarly activity, including threatening actions toward researchers in Canada.
The OCADFA Board encourages all members planning to travel to the U.S., on either personal or university business, to review and carefully consider CAUT’s travel advisory. The advisory details recently enhanced powers of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers in preclearance zones at the Canadian border, and more frequent and arbitrary exercise of their powers to search electronic devices.
We also encourage members to review CAUT’s 2005 Travel Advisory which details your rights at the U.S. border, although we caution that some of these rights may have been eroded, as per the new travel advisory, and that recent news reports suggest they may not be respected.
Where possible, we encourage exploring options for remote attendance for activities in the U.S.. If your research and/or creative practice has been or may be impacted by the need to adjust or cancel your travel plans, please let us know, and we can advocate to the University for acknowledgement of the impact this hostile climate has had. No one should be negatively affected in their performance reviews should a major research project, or an exhibit or anything else that had to be cancelled or deferred due to this historical administration south of the border. We can call on the University to make similar considerations as were made during the Covid pandemic.