We talked to Arabs boycotting the US because of Donald Trump

The land of freedom, opportunity, Hollywood glamour and the American dream ... that's how people throughout the world have long viewed the U.S. 

And although many in the Arab world have had a love/hate relationship with the country for a long time, for many, its taken on a whole new dimension under the leadership of President Donald Trump.

Sure, U.S. foreign policy has been rough on the Middle East for a long time, but for Arab millennials, Trump's xenophobic policies have set a whole new precedent. While it's true that many in the Arab world have welcomed Trump with open arms, a lot have done exactly the opposite and of course, a lot just find themselves confused and caught in the middle.  

We talked to several Arab millennials who just feel like its not worth going to the U.S. anymore, at least not for the time being.  

"I was totally discouraged to take the risk of paying for an expensive tuition fee, apply for a visa and book an expensive plane ticket to fly half way across the world," Rand El Zein from Lebanon told StepFeed.  

She believes that whether or not she is able to obtain a student visa, she faces a "great chance of being rejected entry at the U.S. border." To her, the risks outweigh the potential benefits.  

"I don't even know if I will be welcomed either by the authorities or the people," she said.  

Zein also said that even if she were able to enter the country, she doesn't want to worry about "being deported" and having someone shoot at her while she's at a bar or restaurant.  

Another young Arab woman, who spoke to Stepfeed on condition of anonymity, and who was raised in the UAE echoed Zein's sentiments. 

"Any longterm stay for education or work ... the idea doesn't sound appealing," she said. "It's not so much Trump, but living among the people who voted for someone so blatantly racist, hypocritical and misogynistic."

In the wake of Trump's presidency, anti-Muslim hate crimes and Islamophobia  are on the rise. Mosques have been vandalized and burned down, and there have been numerous attacks on foreigners and minorities in public places. 

Michella Sfeir, who has a tourist visa to the U.S. and has visited in the past, said she loves the country but doesn't feel its worth going to right now. 

"When I think that I have to take a 16 hour flight and then possibly will have to stay at the airport for a four hour investigation – as if I were a criminal – I change my mind immediately," she said. 

"Why would I go there and get mistreated from the moment of my arrival till the moment I leave ... just because it happened that I was born in the Middle East?" 

And Sfeir is not alone. Prominent travel booking websites such as Kayak and Hopper have noted a significant and sudden drop in searches and bookings to the U.S. from international destinations since Trump took offices. Analysts estimate that Trump has cost the U.S. travel industry $185 million, according to The Guardian. 

"I never really wanted to go to the U.S.," Maiassa Chaar, who is Arab but was born and raised in Brazil, said.  

Now Chaar sees the U.S. as "much less attractive" than before. "[Trump] is disseminating hatred and intolerance," she said.

"Born and raised in the United States, I consider myself a proud U.S. citizen. But after Donald Trump became president I just can't call it home anymore," Leyal Khalife, who writes for StepFeed and lives in Lebanon, said. 

Although she moved with her family back to Lebanon 14 years ago, much of her family still resides in the U.S.  She used to visit her childhood home on a yearly basis. Now, she doesn't feel welcome. 

"I will probably get harassed at the airport for being Muslim. Probably get my luggage checked because I'm Arab. Maybe even get strip searched for it," she said. "I may be taken into the interrogation room and get asked a couple questions because I came from Lebanon." 

"Why should I justify my visit to my home country?" 

"I don't want an awful experience to change the America I know. I don't want Trump to destroy the America I still have hope for," she said. 

A fan page for Lebanese who support Trump has garnered more than 105,000 likes as of the time of writing. Even following Trump's controversial "Muslim ban," the page posted a statement in support of the president and his decision. 

Roy Tohme, a lawyer who lives in Beirut, told TIME that he and many others already hope Trump wins a second term in office. 

"We hope it will be eight years,” Tohme said. “And if America becomes great again, we are sure Lebanon will tag along."

But it's also never as simple as liking or disliking a political leader.

"I don't care for the guy. He's just a flying tantrum in history. I tend to look at things in a more pragmatic way," Roy Hayek, who lives in Mount Lebanon said. 

"Does his hate for Islam bother me? Well, yes but so do xenophobes in general. It's not specifically because of Islam, but because of his conservative closed minded behavior," he said.

Hayek joked that while Trump wouldn't stop him from visiting the U.S., the visa hassle and cost of traveling would ... at least for now.