What Ecuadorian Students Think of U.S. Politics

In the United States we have the idea that all Latin Americans have the same terrible opinions of President Trump and much of the U.S. overall. In Ecuador I have found opinions that have surprised me and been too deep to sum up the way we do. Rather than explain myself I interviewed friends from my Ecuadorian university. I chose people who I knew to have an opinion outside our perceived status-quo or who I thought had an interesting perspective. This is not meant to be representative of all people, it just serves to give voice to some views that don’t get much recognition.

Interview 1

Jorge Luis studies political science and I thought his knowledge and interest in the subject would make him a good candidate to interview.

What is your overall opinion of Donald Trump?

Even though he is not the best role model for a president, I believe that I would’ve voted for him, because he is aligned to many of my ideological principles.

Which of Trump’s policies do you agree with and disagree with?

I agree with many (but not all) of his economical politics. The main problem with the protectionist politics is that they limit the economic freedom. I agree with cutting Planned Parenthood funds, and his decisions with the Israeli-Palestine reactions.

Do you think the immigration issues between the U.S., Ecuador, and other Latin American countries are similar?

The immigration issues differ in every country. It’s not the same to have a great wave of migrants coming to Ecuador, than if they arrive to Chile. The economic situation of the country and its political implications are very important in that analysis. The economic freedom is vital to be capable of receiving migrants.

I don’t have a clear point of view about the immigration laws, because free migration seems pretty interesting, but every country has the right to control the entrance of migrants.

Do you think most Ecuadorians share your opinions?

No, many Ecuadorians disagree with me because of the main informative channels. The most popular news program is CNN, which has a clear opposition against trump.

Interview 2

Maria is a human resources student and I chose to interview her after listening her discuss how Venezuelan immigrants are impacting Ecuador.

What is your overall opinion of Donald Trump?

My opinion on Donald Trump is that he is too extremist when it comes to the “immigration” subject. As soon as he became president he started creating panic in every single state of USA, more specifically in foreign people. The situation was so severe that people started committing suicide.

I also thing he is too impulsive and someone to be afraid. He literally can start a war because he doesn’t agree with other countries politics and it is most likely to happen between USA and South Korea, and everyone knows those countries were in conflict not so long ago. Moreover, we are talking about the president about the most powerful country, he should be someone to follow, not someone to be afraid of, not someone who doesn’t know how to control his words or even his tweets.

Which of Trump’s policies do you agree with and disagree with?

I do agree with the fact that somehow he is trying to put everything in order, and I am referring to the documentation of people. Because it is not right to be in a country without the legal documentation that it asks for, it’s like being in someone’s house without permission from the owner of the house.

I do not agree with the violence that he allows police and whatever security system he has to kick people out of the country, it must be another way.

Do you think the immigration issues between the U.S., Ecuador, and other Latin American countries are similar?

I think it doesn’t impact South American countries the same way it would impact in USA. First of all, they would not be able to go to the USA because their economic condition, and, in the case of them making the journey to the states, guards at the boarder would kill them before letting them in. That is actually going to happen to Honduran people that are going by foot to USA. Trump has already given the order to shoot anyone who tries to cross.

On the other hand, if immigrants would try getting in other South American countries, then those countries would be affected because the immigrants would actually be able to get in those countries. “In what way?” you may ask. Well, as immigrants start overpopulating a country, the main thing that troubles people is that immigrants are more likely to be hired for jobs because bosses find in them a chance to pay less money as a salary. And, also some immigrants start proclaiming lands to live that are not their own, and, once they establish there, they are not likely to leave without violence. This troubles many politicians that actually want to help, but, because they have a need, they think they don’t have to follow rules. (It has happened here in Ecuador, but I want to emphasize that all immigrants are not like that, just naming some issues)

Do you think most Ecuadorians share your opinions?

I think most Ecuadorians haven’t really stopped to think about immigration issues. Most of the people here probably care more or entirely about just what’s going on in this country, but if they reflect for a second about the international migratory situation, I totally think they would agree with me .

Interview 3

Ana is business and marketing student who studied abroad in Kansas for a semester. I was interested to see how her time in the U.S. might have influenced her views.

What is your overall opinion of Donald Trump?

He’s so mean and so racist, but, at the same time, he couldn’t be that rich without being intelligent. He has done bad things, but, at the same time, he will do good things because he is very smart and not that dumb, like the news makes him out to be. Because you have to be smart to be rich.

Which of Trump’s policies do you agree with and disagree with?

I don’t like what he did about Obamacare. When I was in my exchange many people were worried about Obamacare and complained about it.

Do you think the immigration issues between the U.S., Ecuador, and other Latin American countries are similar?

Yes. I don’t think I can talk about other countries; I think I can talk more about mine. But many people (from Ecuador) traveled to the United States, especially in 1999, because in that year there was a change in money. We used to have sucres, but now we have dollars and when the government changed to dollars many people became very poor. So they went outside to the United States and to Spain for better opportunities and that was a very very bad time here. The name of that was inferiado bancario (Ecuador Financial Crisis).

What do you think the immigration laws in your country and the U.S. should be?

I think immigration laws should be easier. For example, I’m doing now my visa (to the U.S.) and that takes a lot of time and money and is very expensive. So, I think it should b

e less expensive and more easy and the two countries should make a new plan for immigration.

Do you think most Ecuadorians share your opinions?

My circle (of friends), maybe, yes. But, I don’t know about the rest, but mine, yes.

Interview 4

David Montiel is a student at the University of Guayaquil and he studies Language and Linguistics with a focus in German.

What is your overall opinion of Donald Trump?

I consider that the current president of the united states is leading the nation in a very depreciate way since he is clearly not caring about the consequences of his actions.

Which of Trump’s policies do you agree with and disagree with?

I really don't know by heart the policies that have been implemented by Trump, I would say that over the media he is bringing up to much abhor or hate against Latin people, however. In that way, it is pertinent to say that I would mostly disagree with his hate comments over immigrants considering that he is the leader of a nation.

Do you think the immigration issues between the U.S., Ecuador, and other Latin American countries are similar?

In my viewpoint the rising crisis about immigration involves any kind of Latin people, although the country which stands out on the list is Mexico. What we all have to keep in mind is that the fight against this segregation is by far an issue that require our consciousness.

What do you think the immigration laws in your country and the U.S. should be?

They should be more inclusive due to the amount of people having the desire of living a better life, today Ecuador is certainly facing an incoming of immigrants from Venezuela. Since that country is living under political, economic, and social pressure, a lot of people are crossing the borderline in order to obtain a job and supply their families with a little money, at least. Taking it from that point, Ecuador has been applying some laws to maintain the order of the country. Nevertheless, society has to be aware of how to cope with the immigrant situation in the most balanced way possible.

Do you think most Ecuadorians share your opinions?

I would state that when there is an issue that is being displayed in any type of media we all tend to follow a certain belief. Therefore, an enormous quantity of Ecuadorians may think as I do about the crisis of immigration in the USA. Despite that concern, it is plausible that many of our citizens would view the Venezuelans immigrants in a different light.