Donald J. Trump has been president of the United States for close to a year. Officially Trump will be president for a full year on Jan. 20 and withIn those 300-plus days, Trump has attempted to pass travel bans, build border walls and almost start a nuclear war with North Korea. Along with his outrageous tweets, Trump has made this year unlike any other first year of a presidency in history. With changes to immigration and travel it has affected some students here at Chaminade as they fear for the change that Trump has started to bring his first year.

For Erinn Kaya, a 22-year-old senior psychology major at Chaminade, she feels that although Trump’s actions have not affected her personally, she can sympathize with friends and family. Kaya comes from Japanese ancestry and has been told the stories of World War II in regards to her family since she was a child.

“I know the extremes that prejudice coming from a president can result in,” said Kaya, whose mother’s parents were placed in an internment camp throughout the United States. “For my family, that was being put into internment camps solely because of their race. It did not matter if they were an American citizen or not.”

Kaya sees the damage that can be done from simple comments of racism towards others.          

“I question why he is the president of the United States,” she said. “None of what he says helps our country. It puts it in danger.”

Recently, Trump has been focusing on issues that have little to no impact. For example the NFL players who did not kneel during the national anthem has been on the top of Trump’s priority for the entire month of August. When there are other problems such as the imminent war with North Korea as Trump Tweets back and forth mocking the isolated country.

Aside from a potential World War III, the Trump administration has decided to make the lives of immigrants difficult throughout this first year. Since January, Trump has attempted to put a ban on refugees. With the efforts of federal judges blocking the most recent travel ban in October this will become a recurring battle in the coming years.       

Chris Walker, a 24-year-old junior physics major at Chaminade, feels that this year has been difficult. Having family in Los Angeles, Walker fears that some of his family will be deported due to the TPS (Temporary Protected Status) being dismantled for certain countries.

“This year has been awful,” Walker said. “I have always lived in fear that my family will be deported but now even more than ever due to the government taking away the TPS.”

The TPS is a program that granted temporary visas to live and work in the United States. The visas were granted to people from certain Central American countries for years. On Nov. 6, the TPS ended and the Trump administration gave those affected by it until 2019 to leave the country or face deportation.  

Walker feels strongly against Trump and his party members in regards to immigration policies and how Americans react to Trump’s speeches.

“Currently America’s true colors have been exposed to the public eye and it is now a concern. There are many people that do not care enough to make a change,” Walker said. “I hope that 2018 will be a better year. Hopefully we get rid of all the white supremacist pigs from the office.”