From the crowded, smog-filled city of Beijing to the bright blue harbor of Rio De Janiero, students come from all over the world to DePauw University. This fall, these international students have followed the presidential campaign, anxiously awaiting the results that may affect their lives in the U.S.
"I have a legit fear of being deported if Donald Trump wins,” said senior Yuka Kitajima who is from Japan. “We don’t want Trump because he is like a little child. We don’t know what he is going to do.”
Senior Zheng Luo began following American politics while living in Wuhan, China. From Luo’s perspective, this election cycle is more complex than any previous one he has followed. “A lot of people don’t like Hillary or Trump, but they feel that Trump is going to be the worse choice,” Luo said. “In my view, they are the same thing.”
Whether it’s Hillary Clinton’s stance on restricting China’s air pollutions or Donald Trump’s critiquing their economy, Luo believes the candidates are just saying things to win voters’ support.
“China is an emerging global power that could rival the United States,” Luo said. “Americans are afraid of that situation happening and so they talk about ‘Making America Great Again’ or focus on Chinese emissions so they can maintain their stance that the United States is the greatest country in the world.”
Luo, who prides himself on his academics, is confident that he will be able to stay in the U.S. after graduation, regardless of who is elected. He plans to attend graduate school for mathematical engineering and does not see either candidate’s rhetoric as undermining his goals. He already attends DePauw through an F-1 Visa, which allows him to study in the United States for up to five years before renewal or application of a H-1B Visa. H-1B visas allow international students to become employees temporarily and is the first step in the path to obtaining a green card.
Due to his studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), Luo believes he will have little issue getting the proper visa to stay in the country. Hillary Clinton has said throughout her campaign that she would like to increase the number of work visas and green cards available for international students majoring in STEM fields.
“In terms of immigration, they (Trump and Clinton) say almost opposite things, but in their platform they talk about how they welcome highly educated and highly skilled immigrants,” Luo said.
Sophomore Laura Li, an international student from China, is more anxious than Luo. This is the first American election that she has closely followed and she worries it could have a tremendous impact on immigration policy in the U.S.
Li fears that under Trump’s immigration policy many of her friends who are majoring in things like psychology or sociology will not be able to stay in the U.S. when they graduate. As a communications major, she thinks her chances of staying in the U.S. upon graduation are lower than other students who have studied STEM.
Kitajima supports Clinton because of the candidate's previous experience in international relations. The U.S. has a large presence in Japan, with more than 20 military installations in the country. Kitajima believes that Clinton, as a woman, would be more equipped to deal with the reported negative treatment of women near bases.
Kitajima worries that without the U.S. military presence in Japan, their national security would be at risk. “China is one of our economic rivals and militarily China has been developing so much,” Kitajima said. “We do not feel that we will be attacked by China, but it’s nice to have America as a back-up.”
Clinton also appeals to Kitajima because of her vision to bring the divided U.S. together. “I respect America’s individualism and democracy, but at the same time, we must be united to make the U.S. better,” Kitajima said.
Ranjit Singh, a junior from New Delhi, India, is a practicing Sikh. On campus, Singh feels the negative effect of prejudice and believes America would be worse off under a Trump presidency.
“As a Sikh, people often confuse me and my religion with Islam, and there is nothing wrong with Islam, but I want the perception of international students to be fair and without prejudice,” Singh said. “When a candidate has said such hateful things about women, entire populations, and his opponent, I find it impossible to support them and I fear what America would look like if Trump won.”
Singh emphasized the parallels between the Trump’s campaign and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s in 2014. Both had a populist message, delivered in common speech that people could relate to, and without regard for political correctness. Trump has even gone so far as to use the same slogan as Modi to appeal to Indian-American voters. “This time, a Modi government” has been changed to “This time, a Trump government.”
“It’s very surprising to see that Trump has been very big in reaching out to Indians,” Singh said. “He’s attended numerous events trying to reach out to this specific demographic.”
Despite these appeals, Singh said he could never support Trump. “The anti-globalization issue is terrifying to me,” Singh said.
Other international students, such as Brazilian sophomore Clara Boettcher Mallmann, expressed concerns over both candidates’ ability to be president. “I do not think either candidate is responsible or ethical enough to be in the position that they are right now,” Boettcher Mallmann said.
Despite their worries and the effect the next president will have on their lives, international students don’t get to vote. Kitajima pleads with American voters to think globally.
“Think about your loved ones who don’t have voting rights and how it’s going to affect outside of your community,” Kitajima said. “If your friends with international students, just stop for a while and think about how these election results can affect everybody.”