I’m a Muslim immigrant and a psychiatrist living in Michigan – I haven’t decided how to vote yet

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Farha Abassi, Michigan State University

(THE CONVERSATION) My three daughters and I arrived in Michigan from Pakistan in 2000.

Moving here was my choice, and I followed the legal process. Before the move, I had often been to the United States. I was familiar with the culture and spoke fluent English, so I thought I was prepared.

Resuming my career as a physician in the U.S. was arduous, but I finally passed all the qualifying exams and completed a psychiatry residency at Michigan State University in 2006. After finishing my studies, I stayed on as faculty.

Of course, there is nothing new or particularly unique about my family’s experience. Immigration, whether it is out of choice or forced by conflict, has always been part of the American experience. After all, the U.S. Constitution was signed by seven first-generation immigrants.

Experts will tell you that immigration makes our country strongereconomically, culturally...