Michelle Obama voiced deep concern about President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement policies during her appearance on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast.
Speaking alongside her brother, Craig Robinson, Obama reflected on the challenges they faced regarding racial issues growing up. When asked about the most difficult recent moment tied to those fears, she pointed directly to the current climate surrounding immigration.
“In this current climate, for me it’s, you know, what’s happening to immigrants,” she said, noting that while her own safety is less of a concern today due to her public profile, she remains worried for those without such protection.
“I drive around in a four-car motorcade with a police escort. I’m Michelle Obama. I do still worry about my daughters in the world even though they are somewhat recognizable,” she shared. “So, my fears are for what I know is happening out there in streets all over the city.”
Obama went on to accuse the Trump administration of unfairly deciding “who belongs and who doesn’t” based on subjective criteria.
“And we know that those decisions aren’t being made with courts and with due process,” she said, suggesting that appearances, rather than legality or criminal background, have become the deciding factor for immigration authorities.
“And you know that it’s being made like this cop that pulled my brother over when he was twelve. You don’t look like somebody that belongs. I can determine just by looking at you that you’re a good person or you’re not a good person,” she claimed.
She also warned that “so much bias and so much racism and so much ignorance that fuels those kinds of choices” plays a role in shaping these outcomes, adding that she fears for the safety of “people of color all over this country.”
“And I don’t know that we will have the advocates to protect everybody,” Obama said. “And that makes me, that frightens me. It keeps me up at night.”
She described often scanning the faces of strangers while traveling through Los Angeles, contemplating the fear many must experience. “And I know that there are, and I see that when I’m driving around L.A. I’m just looking in the faces of folks who could be victim, and I’m wondering, how are you feeling? How do you feel standing on the bus stop? Do you how do you feel comfortable going to work, going to school when you know that there could be people out here judging you and who could up end your life in a second?” Obama asked. “You know, that’s who I worry for right now.”
Meanwhile, the reality on the ground reflects that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has mainly focused on arresting illegal immigrants with criminal records. To highlight its efforts, the White House displayed around 100 mugshots of individuals ICE had detained, with offenses ranging from child sexual assault to murder and rape, committed by nationals from Mexico, El Salvador, and Laos.
It is worth noting that during President Barack Obama’s time in office, estimates indicate that approximately 5.3 million deportations took place, combining removals from the interior of the country and at the border.
{Matzav.com}