A PETITION has been signed by more than 2,000 mathematicians urging their association to relocate its flagship 2026 congress from the United States as the US President threatens to escalate attacks on Iran.
Members of the International Mathematical Union (IMU) want the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM), scheduled for Philadelphia in June, to be relocated from the United States.
Petitioners have cited safety concerns, US immigration clampdowns as well as the global crisis that erupted from the US-Israel-Iran conflict, resulting in loss of life, steeper oil prices and air travel disruption.
An analysis by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua this week said the dispute has evolved into a wider debate among global professional bodies as to whether the United States remains a secure and welcoming destination for large-scale international gatherings due to US involvement in the Middle East crisis.
Since mid-March, the petition has circulated rapidly within the mathematics community, drawing support from prominent researchers who have indicated they would not attend if the congress proceeds as planned in the United States.
While the ICM is a specialised academic congress, observers note that the concerns raised echo anxieties increasingly voiced by conference organisers across disciplines, from the sciences to international relations, about brining groups to the US.
The IMU is inviting mathematicians from all over the world to come to the United States as people who may not look to an ICE agent as though they ‘belong’
– Extract from the petition
The petition advances two main arguments. The first focuses on the risks of travelling to the United States under current immigration enforcement practices. “The current American government has demonstrated in no uncertain terms its unbridled hatred of immigrants,” the petition states, arguing that visa policies, border controls and detention cases had heightened uncertainty and danger for international scholars.
Petitioners pointed to a recent Supreme Court ruling that allowed government agents to stop and question civilians about their immigration status based solely on “racial appearance or what language they speak.” It also cited cases in which US citizens were detained, abused or killed after becoming entangled in immigration enforcement actions.
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The petition continued: “The IMU is inviting mathematicians from all over the world to come to the United States as people who may not look to an ICE agent as though they ‘belong’.” It added that international delegates could face “indiscriminate harassment and physical violence”.
According to reports, the Berlin-headquartered IMU is continuing with plans to hold the congress in Philadelphia. When Russia invaded Ukraine, the congress was switched to an online format.
For organisers of global association conferences, such statements by association members underscore operational risks that go beyond logistics.
Xinhua reports industry analysts as saying uncertainty over visa issuance, actions by immigration operatives and participant safety can have a chilling effect on attendance, sponsorship and institutional support, particularly for events that rely on broad international representation.
At a time when international collaboration and science face serious challenges, we strongly believe that holding the ICM in person in Philadelphia is especially important.”
– International Mathematical Union leadership
The second strand of criticism is geopolitical. The petition argues that recent US foreign policy actions have destabilised the global environment, making the country an inappropriate host for an event meant to promote international unity, citing the “kidnapping” of the Venezuela president and claims on the Danish territory of Greenland.
“If the goal of the ICM is to encourage a sense of international unity among mathematicians, the IMU would completely fail on its own terms were it to go through with its plans to host the conference in the United States,” it said.
The ICM, established in Zurich in 1897 and held every four years, is widely regarded as the most important global gathering in mathematics and serves as the platform for awarding the Fields Medal, described as the “Nobel Prize of Mathematics.”
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The 2026 meeting is scheduled to mark the congress’s first return to the US soil in four decades. Xinhua noted that this was a symbolic choice that had now become contentious.
In a statement on March 30, the IMU acknowledged widespread anxieties about US entry procedures and their members’ feelings about being “safe and welcome” in Philadelphia. “At a time when international collaboration and science face serious challenges, we strongly believe that holding the ICM in person in Philadelphia is especially important,” the statement said.
But the petitioners remain equally determined. “Holding the ICM in the United States, after it started two illegal wars, represents a double standard,” Michael Harris, a mathematician at Columbia University, was quoted by Xinhua as saying.
The French Mathematical Society announced in January that it would withdraw from all activities related to the 2026 congress, citing visa uncertainty, domestic security concerns and what it described as an erosion of academic freedom.
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Xinhua reported that the Brazilian Mathematical Society followed in February, saying US measures had “hampered global scientific cooperation and violated the basic principles of freedom of movement and international collaboration”.
Concerns about the US as a conference destination are not limited to mathematics, the agency said in its analysis. The International Studies Association has openly questioned whether it is safe to travel to the US for its 2026 meeting. Other organisations, including the American Chemical Society, have issued similar advisories.
According to Xinhua, for organisers of association conferences worldwide, the mathematicians’ petition serves as a case study in how immigration policy and foreign affairs can intersect with event planning, forcing institutions to weigh symbolic choices against practical risks amid geopolitical volatility.
