A Newly Naturalized Citizen on This Week’s Events
By Guillermo Porras
On January 5, 2018, I felt very happy and proud about becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States of America. But during the oath ceremony, they played a speech by Donald Trump. That made me profoundly unhappy. I wished I were listening to President Obama.
Donald Trump has always been allowed to say and do whatever he wishes. That’s why his behavior has spiraled out of control, resulting in what happened on January 6. Throughout his 2020 campaign, the President always warned us, I will be watching and I will take action if I see “fraud.” And he was true to his words, defiling the temple of La Primera Democracia this week with his accomplices.
These events left me with a feeling of deep sadness, similar to those I had after 9/11, with one big difference: those who befouled the Capitol are American citizens, commanded by a would-be dictator. They are domestic terrorists, incited to commit the crimes they committed, but they are not called criminals or terrorists because they are citizens and white. This vandalism was not committed by immigrants, whom Trump constantly calls criminals.
I am an American citizen, an immigrant from Costa Rica, a country with a democracy that is also centuries old and that is a source of pride for many, I value and appreciate the United States as my adoptive country The vast majority of immigrants are good people; with our hard work and loyalty, we contribute to making this country great. We deserve to receive respect, especially from our authorities, even the Commander-in-Chief. Immigrants are not criminals!
I respectfully request that U.S. take legal action against the Criminal-in-Power who degraded our democracy once again. Donald Trump cannot avoid paying the price for such a serious crime. To continue indulging him is to destroy our democracy. and to promote political movements contrary to the legacy of the Founding Fathers of our nation!
Guillermo Porras was a New Year’s baby, inaugurating the great decade of the 60’s. He was born in San José, the capital of Costa Rica and went to school at the University of Costa Rica, where he graduated as an architect . Guillermo worked as an architect with the top architects in Costa Rica; additionally, he taught architectural drawing in a technological high school for students training to be architects. In 2000, Guillermo moved to New York City looking for opportunities in architecture. In 2002, he got what he describes at “the big project of my life, meeting his future husband, Todd MacDonald, who is also an architect. Says Guillermo, ‘’We got married in 2012, thanks to Edie Windsor, Hillary Clinton and President Obama, who always supported civil rights for the LGBTQ community."