Sophomore Anbarood Kaid moved to the US with her family in 2011, leaving behind her old life, memories, and her home country, Yemen.
The war in Yemen first began when there was a transition in power between the former authoritarian president, Ali Abdullah Saleh to Now deceased Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi in 2011.
Kaid and her family came to the United States by plane in 2012 as political refugees seeking asylum. Fleeing from the newborn war was not a problem until early 2017 after President Trump was elected office.
According to ABC News, “At 4:39 p.m. on Friday (January 27, 2017) at the Pentagon, Trump signed an executive order that promised to keep “radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America.””
“It was much easier to move to the United States because there was no airline bans,” explained Kaid.
Yemen has since 2011 after the transition of power has become a breeding ground for a group of rebels named the Houthis.
“They first started as a movement for the people but as they grew more and more powerful,” said Kaid. “They started going against the people and between this (the war), the people are the only ones that are getting hurt”, said Kaid
The Houthis have been known to “kidnap kids and they use them to fight for entertainment,” said Kaid. “This led to the parents not wanting to send their children to school.”
According to the BBC News, Yemen has lost more than 6,800 civilians and at least 10,700 injured since March 2015.
The Houthis have made national news and affected the world’s view on Middle Eastern people.
Kaid struggled to start a new life due to media coverage on terrorism attacks due to the involvement the US had on the wars in the Middle East.
“[Students] call me a terrorist,” she said.
Meanwhile Kaid, like many Middle Eastern students coming to the United States seeking refuge safety and a better education, was not welcomed to the United States due to the numerous terrorist attacks happening on US grounds.
After escaping the war in Yemen, Kaid now seeks a better education at Riverside. She hopes to become a doctor.
