‘We can fix our broken immigration system while…’, says Barack Obama

As nationwide protests against President Donald Trump’s immigration reform and widespread ICE raids continue, former President Barack Obama addressed immigration on social media.

In a post on X, Obama highlighted the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which was established in 2012 under his presidency.

“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,” Obama said.

“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,” Obama added.

A DACA recipient is someone who is granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a US immigration policy that shields unauthorized immigrants who entered the country as youngsters.

Many have established households and raised children who are US citizens. For example, it is believed that the average DACA applicant arrived in this nation when he or she was six years old and has remained for the past 20 years.

The DACA program has enabled more than 800,000 Dreamers to live, work, and contribute to their communities.

The bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act of 2025, introduced recently, aims to protect and grant eligible Dreamers conditional permanent residence for ten years and cancel removal proceedings. The Act will also provide a pathway to citizenship for eligible Dreamers by granting full Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status.

The immigration policy offers some children of immigrants brought to the United States a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and eligibility for a work visa.

Since then, the Trump administration has attempted to undermine the program through legal challenges. It is still in effect for those who were already recipients.

In the social media post, Obama calls for fixing the American immigration system, “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.”