Last Saturday night, dozens of people showed up with flowers, balloons and to lend a helping hand at the United Airlines terminal at Louisville International Airport. They came to show support for Abraham Aluel.
Aluel has been in the United States since 2001 and married in 2007. Originally from Southern Sudan, Aluel has made frequent and expensive trips back to Uganda to see his wife and family. But now his wife and four kids will be living in the U.S. with him.
“Man, you can’t believe how I feel," said Aluel. I don’t even know how to describe it. It has been a long time.”
The election of Donald Trump as president is stirring uncertainty among many who are concerned about his strong stance on immigration. Among other things, Trump wants to build a wall along the Mexican border to keep people from illegally entering the U.S., and proposes more rigorous vetting of all immigrants and refugees.
Despite post-election uncertainty, Aluel's optimistic that the U.S. will still be a welcoming place. He talks a lot about the American Dream. And some would say he’s achieved it -- marriage, kids, a home on a quiet street, and a job that can support of all of that.
The day after the elections, he sat in his living room while his four children, bundled up in brightly-colored winter coats, watched cartoons. His children haven't yet adjusted to Louisville's fall temperatures.
Aluel voted in the 2016 Presidential election. He only had this to say about the outcome:
“Man, I didn’t expect it like that," he said. "I didn’t expect it like that but you know, America is a good land whereby even though people disagree, they come together and work together.”
He hopes that spirit stays during a new, historic moment in the country. He recalls the dozens of church members, co-workers and friends that welcomed his family at the airport just days before -- and who have helped him achieve success in the country for the past 15 years.
“That is a unity we need as a country," he said. "To work together and support each other so that somebody will...will feel like they’re a part of that family.”
