I am a second-generation American. I was BORN in the United States. I was raised here. This is the only country I have ever called home. I grew up believing in mostly conservative principles. Individual liberty, meritocracy, personal responsibility, and the American Dream. I believed these were values worth defending. But somewhere along the way, something went terribly wrong. I watched fellow Americans being told they didn't belong because of the immutable characteristics like ancestry. I watched patriotism become a test of ethnicity. I watched people who spent their entire lives loving this country being treated like outsiders in their own homeland. And perhaps the most heartbreaking part was the silence of people we once considered political allies. Let me make something absolutely clear. My American identity is NOT conditional on my skin color. My citizenship is NOT diminished by my surname. And my patriotism does NOT require validation from anyone. I can disagree with you on immigration, economics, foreign policy, or virtually any political issue. That is democracy. But I will NEVER entertain a debate about whether I belong in the country where I was born. No political party is entitled to my unconditional loyalty. Especially not at the expense of my dignity. I did not come to America. I was born in America. And I refuse to spend the rest of my life proving that I belong in my own country. I am an American. Not a guest. Not a foreigner. Not a second-class citizen. An American. Full stop.