Immigrant lived experiences of racist nativism and counter-narratives under the Trump administration

This article places immigrant lived experiences at the center of its analysis and highlights the counter-narratives of minority immigrant communities in America under the Trump administration. While scholarship exists on analyzing the rise of hate-narratives during the Trump administration, less scholarly attention has been paid to how immigrants experience and respond to this anti-immigrant climate. The narratives were collected in an anonymous survey from more than three-hundred immigrants, predominantly immigrants of color. Drawing on the conceptual framework of racist nativism, the study contextualizes these experiences in light of the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies. It examines not just the lived experiences of increasingly explicit anti-immigration rhetoric and behaviors, but also the counter-narratives of how immigrant communities understand and navigate these. Its novelty lies in voicing the strength, resistance and resilience among immigrants despite their dehumanizing circumstances. The paper thereby contributes by drawing on the voices and stories from the immigrants themselves to provide a deeper and more nuanced understanding of their lived experiences under the Trump administration.