Trump’s anti-immigration policies inspire similar efforts around the world
My personal experience with the American migration system is quite peculiar. I left Russia, where I was a refugee, in 2018 after I had a serious problem with immigration authorities because of my LGBT activism.
I left Russia for Israel because the tourist agency told me that Tel Aviv is the best place for me to get an American visa. My wife and I had an invitation to speak at an American disability rights conference about intersectionality, but we were secretly planning to ask for asylum in the U.S.
The U.S. denied our request for American visas. This led to a situation when we were stuck in Israel without our belongings, money, any right to work, or a proper status.
Finally, four months later we had to move to the UK to ask for asylum. I’ve never had a chance to come to the U.S. I have dreamed of living in the U.S since elementary school, but now I’m extremely glad that I’m not there.
