Harvard graduate student union wants paid leave and funding for non-citizens
Union demands include 150 days of paid leave for detained immigrants and a $195,000 increase to the ‘noncitizens worker assistance fund.’
Roughly 2,000 of Harvard’s 5,500 graduate union members are said to be non-citizens, fueling demands for immigration-related benefits.
Harvard University’s graduate student union is demanding the school fund legal support for student immigrants and restrict immigration enforcement agents from entering campus buildings.
On June 5, the Harvard Graduate Students Union–United Auto Workers (HGSU-UAW) petitioned the university to provide full legal representation for international workers facing visa issues, deportation, or “immigration emergencies.” The proposal also asked the university to block Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from accessing non-public areas of campus without a judicial warrant signed by a federal judge.
The demands were submitted less than 24 hours before a federal judge blocked a Trump administration order barring international students from studying in the United States while attending online-only classes. HGSU leaders claim the policy disproportionately harms international student workers.
The proposal further requested that Harvard expand its “noncitizen worker assistance fund” from $30,000 to $225,000 annually, with future increases each year. It also called for up to 150 days of paid administrative leave for international workers detained or expelled by immigration authorities.
HGSU committee member Denish Jhawar estimated that approximately 2,000 of Harvard’s 5,500-member bargaining unit are non-citizens. “Harvard has an obligation—if it’s going to bring noncitizen, international workers into their workforce, if it’s going to benefit from their work and all of their productive contributions—that they protect those workers,” Jhawar said.
The union describes itself as an “organization of student workers” that advocates for better pay, benefits, and working conditions. The demands arise alongside a surge of union activity at Harvard, where five labor unions—including newly formed undergraduate and non-tenure-track faculty unions—are simultaneously negotiating contracts with the university.
Campus Reform has reached out to Harvard University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.