By Mauricio Rodriguez ’19
According to , after President Trump ended the DACA program that protected many of the children of immigrants. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel informed the citizens that Chicago is a “Trump-free zone.” Due to this, students at Pritzker have expressed how they feel about the situation.
Because Trump is not welcome to Chicago, students have expressed the benefits that could come to Chicago from this. Junior student Juliana Geronimo said that because Chicago is very diverse in culture and has a great deal of immigrants as residents, Chicago being free from President Trump gives a “sense of security.” Also, the immigrants and their families feel more welcomed after this.
Meanwhile, Junior student Kelvin Salgado mentioned that the Mayor of Chicago making this city free from Trump is beneficial because it is a sign of hope. He said that this gesture really means a lot since many feel that the banning of President Trump from Chicago might be a step closer for Trump not being around anymore.
Aside from expressing how banning Trump from Chicago benefits the city, students expressed how it benefits them specifically. Salgado mentioned that as a latino himself, he feels more safe to be in a city that will not tolerate any more of Trump’s actions. Salgado also said, “People who are with Trump won’t make such a catastrophe and disturb others.” Thus, this ban ensures him that Trump supporters will not attack or harass people. On the other hand, Geronimo simply stated that this ban makes her “feel more welcomed” in this city.
Chicago is one of the many places to take action against President Trump. But this leaves the students wondering why has Chicago taken action and other states have not? Geronimo believes that Chicago has taken action because the city is very diverse in race and culture; therefore, this would make many feel targeted by Trump. Thus, the Mayor of Chicago would ban Trump from his city in order to show everyone how much he cares for the people while the President does not.
Similarly, Salgado mentioned how Chicago is a very diverse city. But, he also said that he believes Chicago took action against Trump in order to motivate more and more states to do the same. Salgado compared Chicago as
“the first domino in a chain reaction to knock the rest down.”
In the end, the students shared the reactions of their parents and how the ban has affected them. Salgado stated that his parents thought that banning President Trump from a city was humorous as he is the President of the United States. But his mom also expressed how she was glad that someone stood up to Trump for taking the “American Dream” from immigrants.
Geronimo said that her parent’s first reaction to hearing about the ban is that they were relieved since their daughter, Geronimo’s sister, is a recipient of the DACA program. Thus, they feel a bit relieved that the students and the parents are once again protected again.
As Donald Trump’s presidency continues, his actions have caused outrage among the people in states and cities. Trump’s actions are often controversial, which causes the students and their families to have certain opinions on it. However, not only has the President’s decision angered many, it has affected many families. Thus, leaving the parents feeling targeted, and fearing any further actions from the President.
