44th President of the United States (US), Barack Obama, has come out to tell how his government handled immigrants and still remained a “nation of laws”.
Obama mentioned his administration’s programme, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), through which he was able to allow and “protect young people who were American in every single way but one: on paper.”
The former US President’s statement is coming following the demonstrations which turned into riots in Los Angeles after Immigration raids across the city.
On Friday 6 June, 2025, anti-ICE protests were ignited after immigration agents carried out a series of immigration sweeps across Southern California.
Obama said, “we can fix our broken immigration system while still recognizing our common humanity and treating each other with dignity and respect.”
However, President Donald Trump, does not agree with Obama’s sentiments on immigration, making it very clear during his campaign in 2024 that, he will deport all illegal immigrants in the United States (US).
Trump assured, he will keep Americans safe by ensuring to carry out the largest deportation in the history of the North American country.
Obama wrote: “Thirteen years ago, my administration acted to protect young people who were American in every single way but one: on paper.
“DACA was an example of how we can be a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. And it’s an example worth remembering today, when families with similar backgrounds who just want to live, work, and support their communities, are being demonized and treated as enemies.
“We can fix our broken immigration system while still recognizing our common humanity and treating each other with dignity and respect. In fact, it’s the only way we ever will.”
DACA
According to kff.org: “The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was created to protect eligible young adults who were brought to the U.S. as children from deportation and to provide them with work authorization for temporary, renewable periods.
“As of September 30, 2024, there were roughly 538,000 active DACA recipients from close to 200 different countries of birth residing all over the U.S.
“While individuals with DACA status can be authorized to work, they had previously been ineligible for federal health coverage through Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance Marketplaces.”
