Even though the United States is one year away from the next presidential election, the race has already been heating up. Two candidates of South Asian descent, Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley, have been battling it out in the Republican primary for the chance of being the 2024 Republican presidential candidate.
Both candidates tout themselves to be immigrant success stories. While Ramaswamy leans into being a political outsider who says he grew up with “no money,” Haley says she came from a town that limited her and her parents based on their race, and claims she was able to build her political career up even though she had no familial connections. In a continued parallel, both Ramaswamy and Haley came from educated families with two working parents, a privilege neither of them seem to acknowledge.
Similar to many South Asian Americans, Haley and Ramaswamy were born in the U.S. after their parents moved here. This fact will give them the footing they need to appeal to many South Asians across the country. However, while they have both promised South Asians a better future, as a South Asian voter, I believe our population should be wary of what both candidates have promised, and how it reflects on the voters, before heading to the polls next year.
Ramaswamy largely continues to paint two paths of immigration: legal and illegal. He said in August 2023 there is no reason anyone who wants to be a citizen shouldn’t have to take the citizenship test. He also told NBC News in September 2023 he believes children of people who immigrated illegally to the U.S. “have to be returned back to their country of origin,” meaning they would not even be given the opportunity to take the test. He told Univision host Ilia Calderón in September 2023 these childrens’ parents “broke the law” by illegally immigrating, implying that they are less deserving of birthright citizenship, which has been protected by the 14th Amendment since 1898.
Another particularly concerning portion of Ramaswamy’s immigration platform is his continued stance that the southern border of the United States should be militarized, implying that most illegal immigrants are from South American countries only. This assumption perpetuates the model minority myth, a stereotype that characterizes Asian Americans to be smart and capable individuals whose hard work directly relates to their success in the United States. This narrative places them above other minorities, like those from countries below the southern border Ramaswamy hopes to militarize. It is often used as a justification to argue that if Asians are able to succeed in the United States, other minority groups should be able to as well through hard work alone, and separates the multiple minorities within the U.S.
Ramaswamy has continued to propose policies that would minimize H1B visas and encourage a citizenship test for all 18- to 24-year-olds. These policies would, overall, make it more difficult for people, specifically Asian populations, to enter the U.S. And even for those who do immigrate, his proposed policies would make it difficult for others to survive within this country. He has spoken casually about reviving meritocracy and praised people immigrating to the U.S. “who can make skill-based contributions,” but Ramaswamy fails to recognize that not everyone has been given the same opportunity he has been to learn these skills in the first place.
While Ramaswamy continues to make controversial comments, Haley is more moderate. During the first Republican primary debate on Aug. 23, Haley stated she would never advocate for a federal abortion ban, as it would be considered highly unrealistic. She has slowly begun rising in the polls, indicating her performance during the debates may have made a difference among voters. Yet Haley still considers herself to be “unapologetically pro-life,” according to the Associated Press. Instead of urging for a straight federal ban, she advocates for consensus — a middle ground — in Congress on banning abortion. This implies that while she might not directly advocate for a federal ban, she is still an advocate for further restrictions in some capacity, especially based on her previous policies.
Representation matters to South Asians. The way they are portrayed and perceived within the media makes a difference, which is why South Asian Americans hyperfixate on certain figures who provide South Asian representation, as seen by articles published in Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue India, and Brown Girl Magazine that praise various South Asian internet figures.
While I don’t wish to control who anyone votes for, young people need to be aware of who they choose to support. While I understand the need for visible representation in the South Asian community, we, as South Asian Americans, cannot support someone just because they look like us. I believe if they stand against our core beliefs, we must be willing to denounce them, even if it means losing that representation.
Looking past initial words and behaviors is vital in choosing someone that properly agrees with your own views. If you don’t, then you may find yourself becoming placated with seeing Joe Biden having a Diwali party at the White House or inviting Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, to the White House. Being able to truly be seen as “American” or part of the “U.S. population” does not simply end with the commercialization of certain South Asian holidays or traditions. It needs to continue in policies, within the public and private sectors alike. When it comes to representation, young people should never be content with the bare minimum, and should always hold candidates for office to the highest standard — especially when casting their votes.