Dear President Trump
Back in February of 2016, I remember my friends and me eating lunch at school and talking about how there was absolutely no way you would become president. We laughed at the idea of you beating out fellow candidates like Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. We thought this was all just a funny joke. But you proved us wrong. The day you were elected, I walked into school and saw a lot of the students and faculty crying and hugging one another. In a few of my classes, my teachers fought back tears and resisted the urge to talk about what had happened the night before. It seemed like our country had just been shot and there was no way to heal the wound. Going to school in a very liberal city in Cambridge, MA, I frequently hear comments about how you will be the downfall of our country. While I agree with some of what they say, I still have respect for you (even though you are a Yankees fan) and I remain hopeful that you will once again prove our country wrong by using your confident demeanor and intelligence to be an effective leader on immigration.
I understand that having the name of the President of the United States of America carries a lot of responsibility. However, you sometimes forget that this is not a one-man show. Our country is not made up of just wealthy businessmen like yourself. There are people of all different ethnicities, backgrounds, beliefs, and looks. That is what makes the United States such a great place to live in: different people living and working with one another. Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time, but he cannot beat any team by himself. He needs teammates who can run, catch, and block, as well as play defense for him. That is how I see our country: a team. Everybody has a different role to play for us to become successful. Immigrants play a key role for us. They do the jobs that us legal American citizens don’t want to do. Your lack of respect and ability to open up towards immigrants not only hurts them, but hurts American citizens as well. They are human beings too, with families to raise and dreams to come to this country and be welcomed.
Sophia Torres and Miriam Terranes are 18 and 17 years old and will be heading to college this fall. Even though they have lived in Los Angeles their whole lives, they still feel insecure about their situation since both of their parents are immigrants. Torres says she is afraid because “[Trump] talks about immigrants like they are bad people, yet they actually contribute a lot to the economy. I just don’t like it when he says these false things.” Terranes adds on to her friend by saying that Trump claims Mexicans are rapists, a stereotype that she says is definitely not true. “Not everybody is how he portrays them to be,” she says. They continue to say that stereotypes are a big issue in the United States because it prevent others from understanding who people are if they have a different skin color, or are from another country. Both of them agree that Trump must put stereotypes away and focus on the country as a whole. “Give everybody a chance and don’t jump to conclusions and criticize immigrants,” Terranes concludes.
The travel ban that has recently gone partially into effect is all just a huge mistake. Edey Hill, a 40-year-old lawyer from South Orange County, CA, says your biggest issue is trying to pass the ban through an executive order. She believes that it “is nothing more than [your] way to enact racial discrimination on a country that is founded on immigration.” Like Torres and Terranes, she continues on by saying that it is time you to become the voice of our country, not just of one side. “He needs to speak to everyone, immigrants or not. And this country isn’t just about the people who put him into office.” Hill finishes by saying that the travel ban goes against ethical and moral reasoning and it is unjust to displace people who have been on this land much longer than we have.
Hilda Garcia says similar things to Hill in that America is an immigrant country because a lot of our families don’t originate here. The 47 year-old Accountant from Los Angeles continues by saying “it shouldn’t be based on whether this person is from this country and another is from that country.” Garcia goes on to say that it shouldn’t be about race. “I believe that Trump must be more focused on a person’s background. You know, if they have a criminal background or anything that goes against them. He can’t just say ‘Oh, you’re from Iran. You’re not welcome here.’ He’s just basing people on where they’re from.”
There is also an economic side to this immigration issue. Back in January 2016 during the presidential race, you tweeted that “Nobody knows jobs like I do! Don’t let them sell you out!” but these days it seems that you don’t actually know much about jobs and growing our economy. President Trump, to “Make America Great Again,” you must expand our population with people who are hardworking and determined to do anything to help their family and the country. In a New York Times article, it states that 26 million foreigners in the American labor market added some $2 trillion to the American economy last year, data that was provided by the National Academies report (New York Times, “How to Make America Greater: More Immigration”). In a Washington Times article, the Partnership for a New American Economy said “immigrants are nearly 50 percent more likely to start a business than native-born workers. These businesses create jobs and bring more customers into the supply chain, which in turn generates more revenue for local governments and resources for communities across America.” Immigrants are a critical key to economic success. If they leave, who’s going to fill the jobs that they have left?
President Trump, it is more beneficial for you to take time to realize that immigrants will actually benefit our country instead of going on Twitter and tweeting about the issue of ‘Fake News’ everyday. I know that you and Bill Belichick are good friends and we can agree that he is arguably the best coach in NFL history. But what makes him so successful? He gives everybody a chance. To him, it doesn’t matter whether you are a proven veteran or an undrafted rookie; he wants to see everybody play and become successful. So, President Trump, why can’t you have the same mentality as Belichick? I urge you to give everybody in our country, especially immigrants, a chance to live in the United States of America.
Sincerely,
Chris Chen
Works Cited
Donald Trump tweet twitter.com/realdonaldtrump January 8, 2016. Accessed June 29, 2017.
Engler, John. “Why immigration is good for U.S. growth.” The Washington Times, November 18, 2014. Accessed June 29, 2017. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/nov/18/why-immigration-is-good-for-us-growth/.
Interview with Edey Hill.
Interview with Hilda Garcia.
Interview with Sophia Torres and Miriam Terranes.
Porter, Eduardo. “How to Make America Greater: More Immigration.” New York Times, February 7, 2017. Accessed June 29, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/07/business/economy/restricting-immigration-would-make-america-smaller-not-greater.html.
