Mathematicians Boycott 2026 Philly Math Congress Over ICE Fears

More than 2,000 mathematicians and academics worldwide have signed a petition calling for a boycott of the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians, scheduled for Philadelphia this July, over fears that foreign attendees could face detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The petition cites the U.S. government’s “unbridled hatred of immigrants” and warns that international scholars traveling to the conference are at risk of “harm and unlawful detention.” It also points to the war on Iran, the invasion of Venezuela, and President Trump’s stated interest in annexing Greenland as reasons to relocate the event out of the country entirely.

The comparison to 2022 is hard to ignore.

Tarik Aougab, an associate professor of math at Haverford College who helped draft the petition, drew a direct line to the previous congress, which was scheduled for St. Petersburg before organizers converted it to a virtual event following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “The safety concerns, the travel concerns and the aggressive and belligerent nature of the state, at the time that the state is scheduled to host the conference, are all being triggered right now,” Aougab told Billy Penn. “For that reason, the only consistent policy would be to make a similar decision here.”

Not everyone sees it that way. Jonathan Block, chair of the University of Pennsylvania’s math department and a member of the conference’s local organizing committee, acknowledged the safety concerns are legitimate but pushed back on the boycott logic. “The interest in boycotting is a little bit misplaced,” Block said. “The concerns that people have that are causing them to want to boycott the ICM for political reasons would probably be better served by actually having a successful conference in this country.”

Block said the petition could depress attendance somewhat, but he’s still hoping the event draws a record-breaking 6,000 or more mathematicians from around the world.

The congress runs July 23 through July 30 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Center City. It will be the first time the U.S. has hosted the ICM in 40 years. The event, held every four years, draws hundreds of lectures and short talks, plus award ceremonies that include the Fields Medal, which carries the same weight in mathematics that the Nobel Prize does in other disciplines. “It is a time for mathematicians to come together and talk about what’s important in the field, take stock of the field and celebrate accomplishments,” Block said.

The boycott debate drops into a broader national conversation about how ICE enforcement at airports and ports of entry has rattled academic and scientific communities. Scholars from dozens of countries have reported visa delays, secondary screening, and in some cases denial of entry in recent months, a pattern that has alarmed university administrators and conference organizers across the U.S.

Philadelphia has some skin in this game beyond civic pride. A congress of 6,000 attendees spending a week in Center City generates real hotel, restaurant, and convention revenue. City officials and the local hospitality sector haven’t weighed in publicly on the boycott petition, but the pressure on organizers to address the safety question directly isn’t going away before July.

The International Mathematical Union, which oversees the congress, has not announced any change of venue.