I came to the United States with hope in my heart — hope that with hard work and honesty, I could build a better life for my family and contribute to this country that I chose as my home. I became a citizen. I pay taxes. I live by the values this nation claims to uphold. But under Donald Trump’s presidency, I began to feel something I never expected: unwelcome. Even as a citizen, I no longer felt safe.
Being an immigrant in Trump’s America isn’t just emotionally difficult, it is disorienting. From the earliest days of his campaign, Trump used immigrants as scapegoats for the country’s problems. He labeled people like me — hardworking, law-abiding newcomers — as criminals, burdens, and threats. His presidency began not with a message of unity, but with division.
The infamous “Muslim Ban” was one of his first acts in office, and it hit like a punch in the gut. I watched on TV as families, many of whom had valid visas or green cards, were stopped at airports. I saw elderly people detained, students deported, and refugees denied the safety they were promised. Some were separated from loved ones for months. It didn’t matter how many years you had lived here, how much you had contributed, or how “legal” your status was. If you were Muslim or came from a certain country, you were unwelcome. That was the message — loud and clear.
Then came the ICE raids, workplace crackdowns, and increased surveillance of immigrant communities for his mass deportation program. Families in my own town of Bucks County started living in fear. Some avoided school meetings. Others didn’t show up for routine medical care. They told their children not to speak their native languages in public. And who could blame them, when even naturalized citizens like myself started second-guessing our place here?
The Trump administration’s infamous “zero tolerance” policy at the border separated thousands of children from their parents. The footage of crying toddlers locked in cages, sleeping on cold concrete floors, and appearing in court alone — too young to even speak — will haunt me for life. You would think these were cenes from another era or another country. No, this is America in the 21st century.
Yet perhaps what made it worse was how Trump presents all of this on the global stage. His press conferences, especially those addressing international politics, are not statesmanlike — they are shocking. In moments that are supposed to reflect American leadership, he mocks allies, embraces authoritarian leaders, and makes crude, belittling comments about immigrants and minorities. We have never seen a U.S. president speak this way.
When standing next to leaders from countries built by immigrants, Trump doubles down on nationalist rhetoric instead of embracing global unity. For immigrants like me, who once admired the United States from afar, it was heartbreaking. The America we believed in — the one that welcomed diversity and led with compassion — is vanishing in front of the world.
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It’s also worth noting the contradiction that so many of us saw: Trump himself is the grandson of a German immigrant. His wife, Melania, is an immigrant from Slovenia who reportedly benefited from the very same family-based immigration pathway he repeatedly attacked. He called it “chain migration,” as if family reunification were something to be ashamed of. But for many of us, family is the reason we came. It’s the root of everything.
And yet, through all of this, we stayed. We worked. We raised families. We opened businesses, contributed to our communities, and showed up for one another. Despite being painted as takers, we remained givers. We are essential workers, educators, entrepreneurs, and taxpayers. We are part of the American story, not just in the footnotes — but on the front lines.
Even in Bucks County, I’ve seen the quiet strength of immigrant families: volunteering in schools, organizing cultural events, supporting local charities, and adding life and energy to neighborhoods. We are not invisible. We are not temporary. We are rooted here, like any American should be.
What Trump’s presidency reveals is that the American Dream is not guaranteed. It is a promise that must be defended, especially for the most vulnerable among us. It is a set of values — freedom, opportunity, and equality — that we must continuously fight for. Because when immigrants are dehumanized, the whole country loses its soul.
For me, the lesson of Trump’s America is both painful and powerful. It reminds me that citizenship is not just a legal status — it’s a moral commitment to defend the country we love when it drifts from its ideals. Being an immigrant doesn’t make me less American. In fact, it makes me more determined to preserve what this country claims to stand for.
America does not become great by turning people away. It becomes great by embracing those who come with open hands, full hearts, and a willingness to contribute. And no matter how loud the noise of division may become, I believe that spirit of unity will outlast any one presidency.
