Senator Pérez issues statement on announcement of a federal investigation into Caltech and eight other universities

SACRAMENTO – Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) issued the following statement on Vice President J.D. Vance's announcement of a federal investigation into The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and eight other universities over allegations of abuses of the J-1 visa program:

"It should not come as a surprise to the Vice President that a university like Caltech, which conducts world-renowned scientific research, should engage with the top scholars from across the world including scholars here in the United States. This is what makes Caltech the best in its field. The Pasadena-based institution, which also manages NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, boasts the highest per-capita number of Nobel Laureates in the nation. Caltech’s contributions on so many levels are significant to human discovery and growth. This ridiculous federal investigation feels like another extension of the nationalism, bigotry and cruelty that is the currency of the Trump administration."

###

Senator Sasha Renée Pérez is Chair of the Senate Education Committee and represents the 25th Senate District that includes the communities of Glendale, Pasadena, Alhambra, Altadena, Arcadia, Claremont, Glendora, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta-Montrose, Monrovia, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena, Temple City, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, and San Antonio Heights.