'It Hurts Me to See That the Government Could Victimize Its Own People'

This interview is part of Broadly's Voices Against the Ban series. You can read more of these voices here.

Broadly: Why do you oppose Trump's immigration restrictions?

*Brandon, 20, New York:* Because it's not the United States of America that I knew, that I was taught, or that I will accept. It has made me both shameful and fearful for the prospective future of our nation. As an intersecting minority of race and sexuality, it hurts me to see that the government could victimize its own people in such a way that it has.

How do these new restrictions impact you or your family?

My mother was an immigrant from Ecuador, and my father from Myanmar. I was raised by outcomes of the American dream. I was raised to appreciate the sacrifices they made as foreign immigrants and how fortunate I am as an American citizen. These have both been undermined within Trump's first week in office.

This interview has been edited and condensed.