URBANA – Whether you’ll directly notice it or not, life in central Illinois and the rest of the country is going to change on January 20, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. Central Time.
Using Donald Trump’s previous term as a guide, central Illinois residents expressed concerns about Israel’s war in Gaza, and the possibility of another Muslim travel ban, mass deportations, and reproductive rights.
During the presidential debate, with Vice President Kamala Harris in September 2024, Trump took credit for the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade.
“But what I did is something for 52 years they’ve been trying to get Roe v. Wade into the states,” Trump said. “And through the genius, heart, and strength of 6 Supreme Court justices, we were able to do that.”
And that troubles University of Illinois graduate student, Sana Saboowala.
She has a menstrual condition called endometriosis, which causes tissue similar to the lining of a woman’s uterus to grow in other parts of the body resulting in extreme pain and possible infertility.
Saboowala takes birth control to relieve the severe aches.
She wonders if her access to it will one day be limited or denied with some states wanting to take similar actions like her home state of Texas.
“I think without it, I would be unable to function in daily life three days out of a month. So I will be cutting my life short three days a month,” shared Saboowala. “And I am a case that is less serious. There are many women who are, there are many people with these menstrual health conditions who need access to this type of medicine.
Abortion remains legal in Illinois, but neighboring states of Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, and Wisconsin have enacted near-total bans.
Trump also said he would get rid of the Department of Education and give control back to the states.
Sudiata Cha-Jua is an associate professor of African American Studies and History at the University of Illinois. Cha-Jua believes if Trump is successful, that will have devastating consequences on students.
“Because there won’t be universal Pre-K. You’ll see an elimination of Head Start. You’re going to see the elimination of financial supportive programs, right?,” said Cha-Jua. “You see the elimination of Special Ed programs. And we are wrongfully, I believe, but disproportionately included in those programs. So that’s going to be, and then the attack on the teaching of African American History, right, and culture, which they mistakenly refer to as Critical Race Theory.”
Advocacy groups have also been working overtime.
They are educating families with mixed immigration status and undocumented people about their rights ahead of one of the President-Elect’s biggest promises.
During a rally in Phoenix last month, he said the countdown to end migrants entering the nation is underway.
“And we will stop illegal immigration once and for all. It’s going to stop. You’re not going to have an invasion of our country any longer. That will stop in just a few very short weeks,” said Trump.
Ricardo Diaz was born in Mexico, and has been advocating for migrant resources with different groups across Champaign County for the past 20 years.
He believes the Trump administration will fail with its plans. He cited Trump’s previous travel ban in 2017.
“And so they would put out an executive action Muslim ban. For example, anyone that comes through those countries can’t come in anymore,” said Diaz. “Well, that’s against the law. And so when they try to implement eventually they had to withdraw many of their executive orders. Because if you want to make something permanent, you have to put it out to the public. The public must comment. They must answer those comments. And then eventually, that law can be applied in that particular way.”
While Trump won both the popular vote and the electoral college, Walid Jassem, an Iraq-born Muslim living in the U.S. since 1962, said he didn’t vote for him or Kamala Harris. That was due to how the Biden Administration has handled Middle Eastern conflicts.
Instead, Jassem voted for a third-party candidate. As for stopping the conflict and the other issues, he may sum up the feelings of a lot of people right now.
“He may surprise us, or may not, or may make it worse,” said Jassem. “So we’re just kind of holding, you know, holding our breath and crossing our fingers.”
As uncertainty lingers, it’s only a matter of weeks until the state of Illinois and the nation will have to react to promises Trump may or may not be able to keep.