Many people think that majority of the Trump supporters are white, male, blue-collar workers. And with Trump’s anti-immigrant policy, new immigrants would naturally vote for his opponent. Surprisingly, the assumption is false among Chinese new immigrants, many of whom are vocal Trump supporters. They share Chinese-language articles on their social media platforms, trying to draw more Trump supporters from friends and family.
On WeChat, a Chinese messaging and social media app, these Trump-for-president articles are plentiful. Here are the headlines of five stories: “Why So Many Chinese Americans support Trump? Are They All Uneducated Fools?” “Trump Has Won the Debate. Don’t Listen to Those ‘Intelligent Yet Idiots’.” “Do You Really Know Trump? Here are 5 Stories.”
These articles mention little about Clinton or Trump’s policies introduced during the presidential campaign. The first article, for example, lists the new acts in effect under Obama’s administration, projecting if Clinton takes office, the policies will remain unchanged. The discontented Chinese new immigrants would rather bet on Trump than Clinton to see changes in the government.
The supporters who circulate the articles on their social media are in their 40s and 50s. They grew up in China, came to the U.S. in their 20s, and have been living in New York, a deep blue state, for more than 20 years.
They felt uncomfortable when New York City announces new policies encouraging undocumented immigrants to live in the city as residents. Most recently this includes the NYC ID, a card that acts as an official ID for undocumented immigrants, and Action Health NYC, a health care program for low-income and undocumented immigrants to get low-lost medical access.
“I work hard for my money. Why should I share it with people who don’t work or scamming the system?” said Tan Man Li, 45, a city employee and Brooklyn resident who migrated from a southern city of China to New York when he was 26 years old. He thinks the Obama administration is too generous to the poor, while the middle class is left out to any benefits. “The current welfare system only creates parasites.” Li said.
Li said Trump and him are like-minded. Instead of being politically correct, Trump spoke out for what Li has had in mind for years. “Undocumented immigrants are illegal. If they didn’t come here legally, they have no right to stay here.” Li said.
Li is not alone among Chinese Trump supporters. They think the current welfare system is draining taxpayers’ money. Yiping Wu, 54, a hedge fund consultant in a consulting and CPA accounting firm, argues that the Democratic Party policies are creating social problems.
“The democrats keep adding benefits, but where does the money come from?” asked Wu, a new immigrant who came to New York when he was 27-years-old. Wu added that Trump’s firm stance on sending undocumented immigrants out of the country would help lower the social costs.
Wu also has concerns that education opportunities for Asians will be compromised after the Fisher vs. University of Texas case. The United States Supreme Court ruled that the University of Texas’s race-conscious admissions program is lawful under the Equal Protection Clause in 2016. Wu worries the universities taking race into admission decision would eventually hurt Asian’s chances.
The concern stems from New York City’s education policies. For decades, the American Dream for NYC Chinese parents is to send their kids to an elite “specialized” high school, then to a top-tier college, as a path to success. Other ethnic groups however, consider the specialized high school not diversified, referring to Asian students dominating over half of the seats in the nine elite high schools in the city. A few years ago, some politicians introduced laws to change the admission process, allowing more black and Hispanic student to enroll.
Chinese parents are furious. “We come here for the second generation, for our kids,” said Wu, father of two children. “The Democrats are segregating Asian students, denying their hard work.” He thinks Trump would give fairer opportunities to Asian American students.
Overall, the Democratic policies antagonize the Chinese Trump supporters. Obama’s policy to allow transgender student to use the bathrooms of their choice in public school shocked many Chinese parents. They are also afraid the president’s policy of accepting more refugees from Muslim countries would threaten the national security, especially after the several domestic terrorists’ attacks from San Bernardino to Orlando to New York City.
“Trump can be a big fat liar in regards to the changes promised, but I’m willing to bet on him because I know for sure Clinton would not make any changes to this country.” Li said.
