By Marinee Zavala

The clock had not yet struck midnight this past November 8, but Donald Trump’s win already wreaked havoc throughout the world. In a matter of hours, the Asian economy reacted, and the Mexican peso dove to almost 20.31 pesos per U.S. dollar.
Things in San Diego were no more encouraging for the Latino community, which has expressed that fear and uncertainty began to creep up.
“The result could not have been worse, as far as the turmoil within the Republican Party now that Donald Trump has won the election and with the Republicans in control of both Houses in Congress, immigration reforms that are actually humane look distant,” expressed American Friends Service Committee Director Pedro Rios. “Yes, there’s a lot of fear stemming from this anti-immigrant – and especially anti-Mexican – rhetoric we’ve been listening to over the last year-and-a-half, it’s something that was felt very strongly in San Diego County,” he added.
On the economic front, should the newly-elected President keep his campaign promises, the situation may be dire for Mexico and the San Diego region, an area divided by a border, but united through its residents, remittances, and trade agreements.
“The effect could be worse along the border region, given how interdependent their economies are, and even more so in San Diego-Tijuana. We anticipate lower investments as a result of Donald Trump’s victory, and as soon as he takes Office in January, 2017,” said Dr. Alejandro Diaz-Bautista, a researcher and border-issues expert at Baja California’s think-tank Colegio de la Frontera Norte.
The United States will now bear the brunt of having a President who is wary of international trade and maintains a discourse of ‘Making America Great Again’ by means of domestic market protectionism and shutting down borders to the detriment of the thousands of Americans living in Mexico and the border region.
“Trump has already promised to end the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and block Mexican immigrants living in the U.S. from sending remittances. In the medium term, Trump’s victory could cause a 2% or 3% contraction in the Mexican economy,” added Alejandro Diaz-Bautista.
The uncertainty brought about by Trump’s campaign has led to protests throughout the U.S. by those who do not share his ideas, and global markets appear to be on edge in anticipation of his next decisions.
Experts have stated that Donald Trump won partly because of a high level of voter abstention, an ideological divide amongst low-income Americans, and insufficient support for Hillary Clinton in key electoral zones of the U.S. These factors all played a role in getting Donald Trump elected as the 45th President of the United States.