I Joined America at Its Worst

In 1996, my parents left their friends and family in China for the United States. To them and many immigrants of their generation, the idea that America—mei guo (美国), or “beautiful country,” in Chinese—would transform their life for the better was as obvious as vegetables being good for their health.

This year, on July 22, I fulfilled one of their goals when I became an American citizen. Instead of feeling excited, though, I am deeply conflicted about this supposed accomplishment. The country has descended into moral and governmental decay. The president mocks sense and science while more than 220,000 people have died from COVID-19, and the whole world looks at America in pity. Asians like me fear attacks on the street, as the president continues to scapegoat China for the U.S.’s failed response to the coronavirus. Friends are planning to leave the country, and journalists are writing doomsday articles about the end of democracy here.