After the news broke that Donald Trump would take steps to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), it was only a matter of time before former President Barack Obama spoke out. On Tuesday afternoon, Obama did just that.
Obama on Trump
One of the biggest issues during the 2016 presidential election was immigration. While Donald Trump announced his plan to run for president back in June 2015, he made headlines by referring to illegal immigrants from Mexico as "rapists" and "murderers." In the months that would follow, the former host of "The Apprentice" would elaborate on his plans, which included, but wasn't limited to, possible mass deportation of the 11 million undocumented workers in the country.
In addition, Trump vowed to not only complete construction of a Southern border wall, but also promised to have Mexico be financially responsible for the costs. Since his election win over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, Trump has been unable to gain much traction with his immigration plans, which has caused backlash among some of his supporters. After a weekend of unconfirmed reports, the White House officially announced it's move to end DACA, which was put in place by Barack Obama and allowed undocumented children to remain in the country if they obtain a work visa, go to school, or enlist in the military. In response, Obama gave his thoughts during a September 5 Facebook post.
Taking to Facebook to address Donald Trump's decision to end DACA, Barack Obama made it clear he wasn't happy.
"To target these young people is wrong – because they have done nothing wrong," Obama wrote, calling Trump's decision "self-defeating" and "cruel." "What if our kid's science teacher, or our friendly neighbor turns out to be a Dreamer?" Obama asked. "Where are we supposed to send her? To a country she doesn’t know or remember, with a language she may not even speak?" he continued to wonder.
"Ultimately, this is about basic decency," Barack Obama continued. "This is about whether we are a people who kick hopeful young strivers out of America, or whether we treat them the way we’d want our own kids to be treated," he noted. The former commander in chief concluded his statement hoping that the country could come together to continue to form a "more perfect union."
Brought by parents, these children had no choice in coming here. Now they'll be sent to countries they've never known. Cruel. Not America.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 5, 2017
Biden speaks
In addition to Barack Obama's thoughts, former Vice President Joe Biden voiced his concern on Twitter.
"Brought by parents, these children had no choice in coming here. Now they'll be sent to countries they've never known. Cruel. Not America," Biden tweeted. Donald Trump also tweeted back in regards to DACA, giving Congress a chance to tweak the law and bring it back to his desk. "Congress, get ready to do your job - DACA!" Trump tweeted.