Former President Barack Obama urged Americans to reject the framing of immigrants as “enemies” as Donald Trump demanded super-charged ICE raids in an unhinged Truth Social rant.
Over the past week, protests have surged across the U.S. in response to aggressive operations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The backlash began in Los Angeles, where federal workplace raids ignited public fury.
It was a tale of two social media posts on Sunday as Obama calmly appealed for “dignity and respect” to prevail before Trump spewed out a trademark rant over on Truth Social just hours later.
The former president, who served two consecutive terms between 2009 and 2017, referenced his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, which allowed immigrants who came to the U.S. as children to request official documentation.
“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,” Obama wrote.
“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.”
He continued: “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.”
The script was flipped on Trump’s very own social media website, where the president encouraged ICE agents to “do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History.”
He called for a clampdown on the “Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens” in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York in particular.
“These, and other such Cities, are the core of the Democrat Power Center, where they use Illegal Aliens to expand their Voter Base, cheat in Elections, and grow the Welfare State, robbing good paying Jobs and Benefits from Hardworking American Citizens,” he claimed, without providing any evidence.
His rallying cry continued: “I want our Brave ICE Officers to know that REAL Americans are cheering you on every day. The American People want our Cities, Schools, and Communities to be SAFE and FREE from Illegal Alien Crime, Conflict, and Chaos.”
Trump said he had delivered an administration-wide diktat to “put every resource possible behind this effort, and reverse the tide of Mass Destruction Migration that has turned once Idyllic Towns into scenes of Third World Dystopia.”
“Now go, GET THE JOB DONE! DJT” he signed off.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
