Michelle Obama Says Trump’s Policies Still Keep Her Awake: 'Frightens Me'

In a recent podcast appearance, former First Lady Michelle Obama shared that former President Donald Trump’s immigration stance continues to disturb her, especially due to her fears about racial bias against undocumented immigrants.

Speaking on the “On Purpose” podcast with host Jay Shetty, Obama reflected on how she and her brother, Craig Robinson, were made aware from a young age that “no one was going to see beyond the color of our skin.”

When Shetty asked her what causes fear now, she responded, “In this current climate, for me, it’s what’s happening to immigrants.”

As reported by Fox News, Obama expressed concern about the treatment of immigrants, particularly in cities like her hometown of Chicago. “My fears are for what I know is happening out there in streets all over the city,” she said.

She continued by criticizing current leadership, saying, “Now that we have leadership that is sort of indiscriminately determining who belongs and who doesn’t. And we know those decisions aren’t being made with courts and with due process.”

Obama suggested that racial prejudice plays a role in how deportation decisions are made, stating, “I worry for people of color all over this country, and I don’t know that we will have the advocates to protect everybody. And that makes me … that frightens me. It keeps me up at night.”

Meanwhile, Tom Homan, the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and a leading voice on border issues, has stated that the Trump administration is focusing on removing individuals with criminal backgrounds in addition to their illegal immigration status.

Homan has also advocated for undocumented immigrants without criminal records to voluntarily leave the country.

According to a fact sheet released by the White House on Monday, there have been 139,000 deportations since Trump assumed office. “In President Trump’s first 50 days, [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] arrested 32,809 illegal immigrants — nearly 75% of whom were accused or convicted criminals — virtually the same number of arrests over the entirety of Biden’s final year in office,” the statement read.

Homan addressed the press on Monday, explaining that seeing the border secured and criminal offenders deported brings him a sense of justice. “People always want to say, ‘Why are you so emotional when you testify [before Congress?]’ Because if they wore my shoes for 40 years, they’d understand why I’m emotional,” he said.

He also shared harrowing experiences from his career: “I’ve talked to little girls as young as nine years old who are raped multiple times by the cartel members,” Homan said. “When you get to your knees and you talk to that little girl and everything innocent and pure has been ripped from her. When you listen to Laken Riley, 17 minutes that young lady fighting for her life. Don’t just think a young woman died. Think of how she died, the terror that she went through.”

Homan concluded with a warning: “Illegal immigration is not a victimless crime. Every sick person we take off the streets, especially child rapists, makes this country much safer.”