I stumbled upon a message in a Facebook folder I rarely check. Against my better judgment, I opened it.
“Seriously, you’re a loser. Grow up, you foreigner! Hope Trump sends you back where you came from.”
This wasn’t the first time I’d received a message implying I should “go back to my country.” Yet, my fists clenched tightly as I read it. I wanted to reach through the screen and shake some sense into the sender. This is my country! I was born in the Midwest and have lived here my entire life. No other place feels like home.
For the first time, I feel like an outsider in my own homeland. It doesn’t matter that my parents immigrated legally from India in the 1960s or that they eventually became U.S. citizens. It doesn’t matter that my sister and I are American-born or that we’ve embraced this culture by speaking English and dressing in “Western” styles.
It also doesn’t matter that we spent a decade in a cramped townhouse in a low-income area while my parents worked hard to secure a better life. My mother dedicated herself to helping the mentally ill, and my father focused on assisting students in finding jobs. My sister and I excelled in school and became engineers. We love this country and strive to live the American Dream. Yet, all that seems to matter to those who want me gone is my name and my skin color.
And that’s the crux of my fear. Donald Trump has awakened a dormant hostility. His reckless rhetoric against immigrants ignites latent xenophobia, turning passive attitudes into aggressive actions. A nasty message in a hidden folder could easily escalate to something much worse.
“But it’s just one message,” I can hear the protests. “Violence existed before Trump. He doesn’t mean what he says about immigrants.” Well, this isn’t a reality show. Trump is running for President of the United States, and his words have real consequences, not just for his supporters but for everyone.
If you’re still undecided, allow me to present a few facts:
- On June 16, 2015, I watched as Trump announced his candidacy, saying Mexico was “sending people with lots of problems. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.”
- On August 19, 2015, two men in Boston assaulted a homeless man with a lead pipe, justifying their actions by saying, “Donald Trump is right. All these illegals need to be deported.”
- On September 27, 2015, in a CBS interview, Trump claimed he would deport over 11 million undocumented immigrants “in a very humane way.”
- On November 10, 2015, at a GOP debate, Trump praised President Eisenhower’s inhumane deportation program from the 1950s, notorious for leaving people stranded in the desert without food or water.
- And on February 1, 2016, Trump encouraged rally attendees to “knock the crap” out of protesters, even promising to cover their legal fees.
So, dear supporter who sent me that message, thank you for making my decision so much clearer. I spent many sleepless nights weighing my options for the upcoming election. If I hadn’t seen your note, I might have overlooked Trump’s alarming disregard for immigrants and the potential violence it incites. If I hadn’t seen your note, I might have considered voting for a third-party candidate. If I hadn’t seen your note, I might have underestimated the threat of a Trump presidency. But now, I have jumped decisively from the ledge of indecision.
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In conclusion, thank you for your enlightening message. It has helped me realize just how important it is to stand against hate and make an informed choice in this election.