Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are predicted to have won the 2020 president election. Now what? Can I stay in the United States without worry for four more years?
I am not going to sit here and say that I was not excited when Biden and Harris were predicted the winners of the 2020 election. I sat there and let out a huge sigh. Finally, I thought to myself, I did not want a fascist and racist person being the leader of the country I reside in.
I remember how silent the school hallways were the day after President Donald Trump was elected in 2016. The days after the election were somber and with loss of hope. I was upset like everyone else, but for me, I was scared about my future in the country.
On Nov. 7, 2020, the day Joe Biden became the president-elect, I could hear the cheers of my housemates. I saw the happiness in the posts my followers posted. Even the day seemed brighter and warmer.
Trump not only was a bluntly racist president that endorsed white supremacy, but he also changed our country’s relations with different leaders against the world.
Being a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) student, I was constantly reading the news checking if the Trump administration had altered the program. On Sept., 5, 2017, I saw the breaking news on Twitter that they indeed were suing to end the program and would not accept new applications. My world collapsed; I was a month away from applying to Lehigh. Thankfully, since I had been on the program, I could keep renewing it.
But what about those who could not apply anymore? Those who like me had dreams of becoming something better?
The years after that, I still monitored the news for DACA. Although at this point, I was in college and more concentrated on completing classes, but I wondered what can happen after I graduate? Where will I start my career? Will I ever be able to travel and see the world?
I asked these questions during the 2020 election. Although I could not vote, I saw how much emphasis was placed on it. I thank my friends and family who took that initiative to vote and make their voices heard. It might not seem like a big deal, but you all gave me a voice.
President-Elect Joe Biden promised that as soon as he took office, he would fight for DACA and other immigration programs to help the undocumented community in the United States, many of whom work jobs many others do not want. Yearly, they also bring more than $300 million in revenue.
Trump bashes these immigrants — the ones that come from Mexico and Southern America. The negative perception that exits in these Black and brown countries is certainly not the same as other European countries.
Once Biden gets sworn in, I will feel more secure about finishing college and hopefully getting a job. I will hold the administration accountable if they do not provide what they are promising, although that is also in the hands of Congress.
Any marginalized community right now should still feel concerned because more than 71 million votes were cast for Trump. There are people that continue to support him even after all the problematic things he has done and said. We may think it is progress that we might get him out of office, but there are people that believe in him and his ideals. These people can be neighbors, classmates and co-workers.
It makes me feel uneasy, just to know that there might be people I collaborate with that will never know I’m DACA, but internally do not want people like myself in this country. This will not disappear anytime soon, no matter who gets elected. This is embedded racism.
Many people live in the country and swear we are progressive and see nothing wrong. Well that is a privileged point of view. Many people decided to willingly not vote for any candidate this election; that is also privileged.
Human rights and the future of our world were at stakes. LGBTQ rights are on the verge, especially for the Black trans community who are disproportionately being assaulted and killed. Women’s rights continue to be in play as well as the topic of abortion legality comes up. Climate change and the initiative to slow down its damage is being ignored. Black people continue to be killed by the hands of authorities. Immigrant children are in cages at the border and separated from their families.
So the fight is far from done. I hope this next president aids my concerns and fully secures my future and other immigrants’ futures in this country as well. I hope his administration also aids and fights for all the human issues I mentioned and all the other ones I can list.
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1 Comment
You didn’t say how long you have resided in the United States but it is probably immaterial. My opinion is that so called DACA people having grown up in America are realistically Americans. If not for the politics related to the overall immigration problem, it would be obvious that they should be legal citizens .
You write, in keeping with leftist/progressive/Democratic lexicon: “I did not want a fascist and racist person being the leader of the country I reside in.” This is “emotional speak” not truth, as much a political lie as much of what President Trump says. Call him a demagogue or egotistical politician. Intense dislike or hate does not give the right to mislead; nor does the promotion of a “progressive” program.
I am suspicious of the continuing movement to create rights out of desires and the disparagement and worse of those who those who differ in opinion. The student free speech movement of the left has morphed into the rejection of “hate speech” today; the definition of hate is effectively “something I don’t want to hear”, which is another incidence of “emotional speak”.
Exercising rights seems always to be a desired thing, being responsible while doing so is not often a consideration. It is easy to see instances where our president seems to have ignored the responsibilities that come along with the rights of the presidency. It is not as clear to us when we as individuals do the same. Freedom of the press is a right that has it’s responsibilities; being a reporter is a privilege that demands respect for all subjects in articles.