OP-ED: Think You’re American? Maybe Not According to Trump

This op-ed was published in Newsweek and can be read in full HERE.

The Statue of Liberty welcomes new Americans who are yearning for freedom, no matter where they come from or the color of their skin. The Trump administration wants to change that. 

The administration is reportedly overhauling the U.S. refugee system to place English speakers, white South Africans and Europeans at the front of the line. Gutting the refugee program—at a time when violence across the world is reaching the highest levels since World War II—is a choice that will inevitably endanger millions of people. 

In other words, President Donald Trump wants to rewrite the message at the base of the Statue of Liberty to say: “White people only.” 

This betrays everything America stands for.

Since its founding, the United States has provided refuge for people fleeing violence and persecution. Our country has been built by immigrants, refugees, dreamers and fighters—people who came here driven by hope and the belief that a better life was possible.  

For many in our community, the refugee program was a lifeline. Thousands of Vietnamese, Hmong, Cambodian, Laotian and Burmese refugees sacrificed everything to reach America’s shores. They did not choose to leave their homes. They were forced to—escaping with just the clothes on their backs and the courage to rebuild their lives in a foreign land. 

Yet these refugees never lost faith in the promise of America. Despite the language barriers, cultural differences and economic hardships, they carried an unbreakable spirit and refused to be defined by what they had lost. Instead, they defined themselves by the opportunities America presented, opening businesses, serving in our military and working tirelessly to build a better future for their families. Their contributions can be seen in every corner of society today. 

This is the American dream come to life. 

To suggest that some refugees are more “deserving” of safety and opportunity is to erase the contributions of millions of refugees who have given back to America many times over.

This is coming from the same administration that wants to end birthright citizenship, a constitutionally protected right that has been upheld by the Supreme Court for over a century. Birthright citizenship is one of the most common pathways for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to become U.S. citizens. It is how I, the daughter of immigrants, became a U.S. citizen and now serve in the halls of Congress. 

But now these immigration pathways are under attack via a coordinated effort to redefine who counts as an American. And make no mistake: these decisions will have far-reaching consequences for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, 65 percent of whom were born outside this country. 

We have gone down this troubling path before. The administration’s actions harken back to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, when Chinese immigrants were banned from entering the United States and those living in the U.S. were denied citizenship. It set a precedent to further restrict immigration for other Asians seeking entry into our country, including for Japanese, Koreans and Filipinos. 

This is not the America our parents and grandparents dreamt of. 

We cannot let the Trump administration redefine who gets to be American. We cannot let them erase decades of sacrifice and success from refugees who have strengthened this country.   

It is our duty to preserve the America that welcomed our families with open arms. That promise is still alive, and we must live up to it.