Is OBAMA now cancelled? Migrant activists oppose naming school after 'deporter-in-chief'


During his time in office, Obama deported a record number of undocumented migrants, according to figures. Obama is seen above in December 2019

During his time in office, Obama deported a record number of undocumented migrants, according to figures. Obama is seen above in December 2019

Former President Obama’s immigration policies have been alternately criticized as too harsh and too weak.

Immigrant advocates derisively dubbed him the ‘Deporter-In-Chief’ after ICE removed a record of more than 409,000 immigrants in 2012.

Meanwhile Republicans have decried his policies as ‘back-door amnesty.’

The question of what to do with the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the country illegally and how to enforce immigration laws has been a hot topic over the course of the last decade.

According to ABC News, Obama deported more undocumented migrants than any other president, including his successor, Donald Trump, who ran on a message of sharply cracking down on illegal immigration.

Between 2009 and 2015, some 2.5 million undocumented migrants were removed from the country by order of the Obama administration.

That figure reportedly does not include those who were ‘self-deported’ or turned away at the border by US Customs and Border Protection.

In total, it is estimated that more than 5 million undocumented were either deported or returned to the country of their origin immediately after crossing the border during the Obama years. 

In November 2014, Obama issued an executive action directing ICE to focus on deporting criminals rather than families.

Those who had been convicted of felonies were prioritized for deportation while undocumented migrants who had been living in the country for years and held down jobs were lower on the list of priorities.

‘Felons, not families. Criminals, not children. Gang members, not a mom who’s working hard to provide for her kids. We’ll prioritize, just like law enforcement does every day,’ Obama said in November 2014 when announcing his executive action on immigration. 

Obama also introduced the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals – or DACA – program that shielded young migrants who came to the country as children from deportation.

While Trump did impose harsh measures to curb illegal immigration, his administration did not deport as many undocumented as did his predecessor, Obama.

As president, Obama also introduced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), which shielded the children of undocumented immigrants from deportation. The image above shows DACA recipients and supporters protesting near the Supreme Court in November 2019 after the Trump administration tried to terminate the program

As president, Obama also introduced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), which shielded the children of undocumented immigrants from deportation. The image above shows DACA recipients and supporters protesting near the Supreme Court in November 2019 after the Trump administration tried to terminate the program

According to the Migration Policy Institute, the Trump administration ‘deported only slightly more than one-third as many unauthorized immigrants from the interior during its first four fiscal years than did the Obama administration during the same timeframe.’ 

While the number of deportations in 2020 has yet to be ascertained, the figures show that the Trump administration lagged behind the Obama administration in terms of the numbers of deported migrants.’

In November 2019, The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration deported fewer migrants in its first three years than did the Obama administration in the same timeframe.

While Obama deported 1.18 million people during his first three years in office, Trump deported fewer than 800,000.  

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