ERIE, Pa.— Ever since he began running for president declaring that “Islam hates us,” President Trump has been dogged by the accusation that he is bigoted against Muslims and immigrants, and particularly Muslim immigrants from the Middle East.
The Trump administration’s so-called “Muslim ban” is considered by many to be the cruelest manifestation of that bigotry. Polling suggests most Muslim immigrants agree.
But a subset of that group cheered Trump’s presidential run, celebrated his election victory, and are giving him high marks as president. Among them are Ali and his wife, Jasmine, of Erie, Pa.
From one vantage point, as Muslim immigrants from Iraq, Ali and Jasmine (who requested their last names be withheld) have three reasons to oppose Trump. But both think he is doing a fine job as president. What’s more, they support him not despite his immigration policies but in part because of them.
When the Trump administration released the first version of its travel ban in January 2017, Jasmine’s only quibble was that it left out Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s leading state-sponsors of terror. Ali’s only objection was that their birth country was ultimately taken off the list of banned countries.
The couple has an interesting take on the president’s view of Muslims. Ali and Jasmine believe Trump is Islamophobic. But they don’t blame him or other Americans for fearing Muslims because most Americans hear about Islam only when it involves terrorism. “[Extremist Muslims] have the power and money, so you hear their voice,” Ali told me during an interview at their home in Erie. “The good people are always behind because they don’t have the money.”
In 2012, Ali immigrated to the U.S. with a Special Immigrant Visa, or SIV, after working as a translator and logistician for the U.S. military during the Iraq War. The SIV is granted to Iraqi nationals who provide “faithful and valuable service” to the U.S. government for at least one year and experience ongoing serious threats as a consequence of that work.
Jasmine’s two brothers and father also worked for the American military and were targeted by Islamists as a result. When her father was shot in the stomach, they knew it was time to leave. Jasmine’s sister, Hiba, followed a couple of years later.
Jasmine and Ali encounter many Iraqis in Erie, which has one of the highest per-capita refugee populations in America. Fully employed (Ali as a truck driver and Jasmine as an orthodontic assistant) and raising two children, they’re alarmed by the number of newcomers who exploit America’s generous immigration and welfare systems.
“I get annoyed by someone who chose to be here and they are illegal,” Jasmine said. “They know the law, and they break it. And I feel like they are taking advantage. And they have all the benefit and they complain. Why don’t you move if you don’t like it and are taking all of these benefits?”
“Some families every year they have new baby, and you ask them why, and they say they want more benefits,” Jasmine continued. “You need time to adjust, but there are families living here 20 years and they still get the benefits.”
“Oh yeah, they’ve got Medicaid, food stamps, tax credits, Section 8 housing,” Ali added.
Ali and Jasmine said some Iraqi immigrants operate cash-based businesses to keep their tax burden low, helping them qualify for government benefits. “They save the money and then they decide after 15 years to leave and buy a [nice] house and pay in cash,” Ali said. “And that’s not right.”
“That’s what I’ll always say,” added Jasmine. “Immigrants are not here to visit. If you left your country, you are not here to visit. Most of them, if you ask them, they say, ‘Oh, we miss our home country, we wish we could go back.’ …Okay, go back! But they say ‘Oh but there’s no power, schools are not great…”
Had they been eligible to vote in 2016, Ali and Jasmine said they would have voted for Trump. Ali doesn’t like everything about the president, especially how he takes credit for rising financial markets. And he hasn’t committed to checking Trump’s name when he casts his first presidential ballot in 2020. That said, he’s “absolutely” happy with Trump’s performance thus far and grades him as an “8 out of 10.”
Trump earns the same grade with Jasmine, who says she appreciates his determination to put America first on the international stage, even if it risks alienating allies. “Unlike Obama, Trump knows what he wants. If he doesn’t like it, he will say it straight in your face.”
In April, after a nearly six-year process, Ali and Jasmine became U.S. citizens.
Both said they’d felt a kinship with this country long before they recited the Oath of Citizenship. “For me country is not where you born it’s where you feel home, safe, welcomed, accepted, equal, and protected by law,” Jasmine posted on her Facebook page after the ceremony. “Home means the United States for me. This country is in my blood.”
While he was proud to become an American citizen, Ali said the ceremony didn’t alter an allegiance he’s felt deeply since the moment he arrived in the country. “My loyalty didn’t change toward the United States since day one and will never change,” he said. “So [reciting] the oath just confirmed that.”
Daniel Allott (@DanielAllott) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is the author of Trump’s America and former deputy commentary editor at the Washington Examiner.
