‘They have the correct papers, but it just doesn’t even feel like that matters anymore.’

Yvette Martínez recently moved from the sunny hills of southern California to study business at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She spoke with reporter Maddie Knodel about how the Trump administration has affected her. Her experience navigating her identity as a Hispanic young adult with the perils of moving to a new (and very different) city gives her a unique perspective on today’s political climate. Martínez discusses the tumultuous effects this administration has had on a busy college student.

Maddie Knodel: It’s been nine months since Trump was elected to office, how do you feel those past nine months have gone?

Yvette Martínez: I feel like it has not been good at all, but it’s sort of been coming in waves. Like, we’ll have a few weeks where everything feels like it’s finally chilling out, and then all of the sudden we are hit with a new policy. It’s really just a lot.

Knodel: Do you feel that you personally as a student have been affected by the current administration? And if so, to what degree?

Martínez: I definitely have been affected by it. I’m Hispanic, so on top of being a student and being incredibly busy, I have also had to deal with the emotional stress of everything tied to my ethnicity. I also am very worried about financial aid and those sorts of things too.

Knodel: Yeah, that was actually one of the questions I planned to ask. So, as a student, how do you feel about Trump’s impact on the economy?

Martínez: Yeah, no, it definitely is scary. I don’t come from a super wealthy family or anything, and having to worry about my financial aid being taken or reduced is scary because I really do rely on it. And it’s not just that, I also commute and that costs money, along with books and all the other supplies it takes to just be a student. It adds up.

Knodel: Are you also working right now?

Martínez: Yes.

Knodel: Do you feel that despite working and applying for financial aid, it still isn’t enough? Is that frustrating?

Martínez: Yeah, totally. I feel like I’m doing everything right, exactly how I’m supposed to, and it’s still not enough. Like, I would love to be able to help out my parents financially and stuff, but covering school has to be a first priority which is already a lot. And that’s just annoying that I have to deal with that as a student because it already feels like I’m dealing with so much.

Knodel: You mentioned earlier briefly about how you also deal with a lot of emotional stress being Hispanic under the current administration. Do you have anything more you want to elaborate on with that?

Martínez: Yeah, I mean, I’m pretty white passing but there are definitely things I notice. Like at work I’ll meet someone and then they’ll hear me talk and say “Oh, you’re Hispanic.” It’s just funny to see people address me one way and then act differently once they realize I’m not white. I also am from California (I just recently moved to Wisconsin) and the way people treat me here as a Hispanic versus in California is really interesting. Obviously California has a lot more diversity there, so it makes sense, but it’s just weird to see in real time. I also feel like obviously with the ICE stuff, there is a lot of general fear with my parents and stuff.

Knodel: Are your parents immigrants?

Martínez: Yes, and they are legal. They have the correct papers and everything, but it just doesn’t even feel like that matters anymore. People are getting detained just for the color of their skin, so it’s hard not to worry. These agents are literally allowed to racially profile.

Knodel: That brings me to my next question. Are there any of Trump’s policies you feel strongly about or have had the biggest impact on you?

Martínez: A lot of things come to mind, but as a woman I’d have to say changing the abortion policies have been really huge. Like, abortion is healthcare, it’s not like there’s a bunch of women out there having sex and then just being like, “Nah I don’t want this baby lets abort it.” There are real health concerns involved (for both the mother and baby), and a lot of people just don’t do their research.

Knodel: I also did some research on abortion when Roe v. Wade was overturned, and one of the original reasons abortion laws were put into place was because so many women were dying trying to terminate their own pregnancies.

Martínez: Exactly! It’s like we are backsliding. People are just refusing to acknowledge the reality of the situation and look at it like a black and white issue. Also, why is it always men trying to do that? Men always have such a strong stance on abortion and it’s like, it doesn’t affect you! Why do you even have an opinion on it? Also, Medicaid is another issue I feel strongly about. My brother has cancer, and we rely heavily on Medicaid to help my brother get the healthcare he needs. The idea that Medicaid could just get taken away when so many people have been relying on it for so long is really scary. It’s like, now instead of “Oh my gosh, why did eggs get so expensive?” It’s, “Is my brother going to get the healthcare he needs?”

Knodel: That actually brings me back to a question I meant to ask earlier. Do you feel like being affected by any presidency is a good or bad thing? Do you want to be affected or do you feel like an ideal president just keeps things running smoothly?

Martínez: I definitely want to be affected by the president, just in a positive way. I feel like being unaffected by a presidency is just a form of privilege. Like obviously what the person in office is doing affects someone, and if you’re not affected by it it’s because you are just privileged enough not to be.

Knodel: What do you see for the future of our country with our current administration? A lot of people are calling it a slide toward authoritarianism, do you feel like that’s extreme or pretty on the nose?

Martínez: I wouldn’t say it’s super extreme, that’s definitely the direction we are headed in. Like the stuff he’s doing and saying is crazy. Even if we aren’t currently in a dictatorship, the way his supporters talk about Trump makes it feels like we are seeing a much larger cultural shift toward authoritarianism.

Knodel: Alright, well then I have one last question to ask. What do you hope to see in the next 9 months of Trump’s term?

Martínez: I mean, there are a lot of things I could hope for, but mainly just that Americans stay united. I think that if we all stick together and fight for what’s right, we take away his power. I mean at the end of the day, we are still a democracy and hopefully continuing to fight the good fight will result in win.