In June, I spoke to international members of the Asian American Psychology Association to discuss ways forward in a hostile immigration environment. The Q&A session went quite a bit beyond the planned length as participants peppered me with questions. Beneath the anxieties surrounding the F-1 revocations and SEVIS records terminations, I was struck by the students’ hope for the future.
Of course, I wasn’t expecting them to just give up. Attending the talk meant they were looking for ways to hold on. But why? Now that you’ve seen what you’ve seen, surely you’re modifying your plans a little bit, right? Complete your studies, then return to country of birth and compete with an elevated American degree. I’ve spoken with US citizens – citizens – living abroad who are having second thoughts about bringing their foreign spouses back home, even if the desires to reunite with their aging parents loom large.
And yet these students and young professionals hold on in the face of uncertainties. I can only think that America has built such a strong foundation of goodwill and promises fulfilled that a temporary hard turn was no reason to give up. I think about my relatives who had gone through that same immigration paths a couple generations prior, who excelled and earned their place here. I think that if they confronted the same challenges then, they would fight to hold on too, because it is not in their blood to do anything else. Hope is the default.
So here’s to us holding on.