Opinion
Trump: Fears of Nigerians in US, By Amara Blessing Nwosu
It was a historic election; one that would determine the route America takes, locally and internationally. Outgoing President Biden shocked the entire world when, just about 100 days before November 2, 2024, he made an announcement from his Delaware home withdrawing from the then upcoming election and endorsing his Vice President, Kamala Harris.
There was jubilation all over the world. Youths were excited with TikTok and other social media platforms buzzing with creative contents that were mostly in favour of Madam Vice President. This jubilation was met by frustration and disdain from the Republican Party as well as some democrats who felt that the president was wrong in his “selection” of Harris. According to them, it should have been an open primary. Well, the laws of the United States of America supported President Biden in this regard.
Donald Trump voiced out his frustration as he had to come up with fresh campaign strategies against Harris. Well, it is settled. Once again, America showed the world that, no matter the qualifications, it is not time for a female president, and maybe a coloured one. The current global inflation also contributed to Trump’s win. The entire world was shocked to see this convicted felon take over control of the People’s House, and the world.
On January 20, 2025, Donald J. Trump became the 47th president of the United States of America. As the celebration continues in Maralago and beyond, it gets gloomier for some, immigrants especially. Being that we have a very big Nigeria community in the United States which I happen to be a part of, I couldn’t help but think about the fate of Nigerians under Trump’s presidency.
We know about the many attacks of Donald Trump on people of colour, especially black people. You can deny it all you want, but the fact remains that a good number of black immigrants in the USA were negatively impacted by the derogatory comments of President Trump. Did he really mean those words? Does he mean them now? I am not in a position to give you the answer you seek, but I know that his MAGA cult members swallow everything their leader says as the hate in their hearts gets more justified. Nigerians have to get ready for a more racially divided USA. This will lead to some being offered just those “Black Jobs”.
Wondering why the two black men who fiercely stood by him have no seat in his cabinet? In Trump’s world, there is nothing good in a black man. The best he offers a black person is Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development because he or she has to deal with their people in the Projects.
Racially and religiously motivated attacks will increase as the MAGA cult, racist politicians, and preachers seeks to regain the land they never owned. You may need to think twice before donating to your TBN and Daystar folks; they are mostly politicians in disguise who use religion to hold their slaves captive. Nigerian Muslim women and girls who wear Hijab are very vulnerable in Trump’s America as discriminatory practices and derogatory remarks become the norm. It’s not just about MAGA, there are those who hate Trump and will go any length to cause chaos during his presidency. Stay safe.
I don’t know how far Trump and Project 2025 will go to destroy education in America as he vowed to wipe out the education department. Knowing that many black children are on either reduced or free meals at school, I can’t help wondering how low-income Nigerian families will make it through the next four years. A good number of these children are from undocumented parents that are not eligible to work, and the only reason they are able to go to school is because of President George W. Bush’s ‘No Child Left Behind (NCLB)’ Law. What about the quality of education in those low-income neighborhoods? If Project 2025 is allowed to carry through with their plans, those schools will have little or nothing to offer students, majority of whom are coloured immigrants. Will Trump go after Pell Grants and student loans which have immensely helped eligible Nigerian students in the USA? Time will tell.
Let’s look at his main agenda with Project 2025 – Mass Deportation. Truth be told, no right thinking person will support illegal immigration, but we sometimes find ourselves in circumstances that are beyond our control. Yes, the Latino community will be massively affected by his unprecedented immigration policies, but there are also many Nigerians who find themselves stranded in this country. What happens to them under Trump’s presidency is yet to be seen. While you wait for money to contact the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), please do everything possible not to find yourself on the wrong side. Those who have their applications with the USCIS should brace up for a very slow process. God help you if you are yet to receive your employment authorization. Your child being American means nothing to Project 2025 because families will be separated. It will get uglier for undocumented immigrants in the USA.
While we focus on Nigerians residing in the United States, let’s not forget what happened during Trump’s first term. It is now a longer waiting process, all thanks to the man, Trump, who deliberately slowed things down and had visa restrictions in place for some Third World countries. That queue will get longer and denials will become the new norm.
Some are of the opinion that Trump’s second term will be more disheartening to immigrants than his first, while others believe that he will try to right the many wrongs of his first term. As we have our fingers crossed in both optimism and pessimism, the man of the moment, Donald J. Trump, is the one who knows what lies in wait for immigrants in the United States of America.