Former first lady Michelle Obama said President Donald Trump’s immigration policies have kept her up at night. Appearing Monday on the "On Purpose with Jay Shetty" podcast, Obama said the administration is “indiscriminately determining who belongs and who doesn’t” without courts or due process. “I worry for people of color all over this country, and I don't know that we will have the advocates to protect everybody,” she said.
Obama said the fear is constant. "And that makes me … that frightens me. It keeps me up at night," she said. She described driving around Los Angeles and seeing people who could easily become victims of immigration enforcement.
On the podcast, Obama appeared alongside her brother, Craig Robinson. The siblings discussed race, bias, parenting, and their bond growing up together. Though she didn’t mention Trump by name, Obama clearly drew parallels between current deportations and the racism her brother faced when falsely accused of stealing a bike at age 12.
"In this current climate, for me it’s what’s happening to immigrants," Obama said when asked about recent fears tied to discrimination. She said the fear weighs heavily, even though it doesn’t affect her personally anymore. As a former first lady, she now travels with heavy security.
"It’s not the fear for myself anymore," she explained. "I drive around in a four-car motorcade with a police escort. I’m Michelle Obama. I do still worry about my daughters in the world, even though they are somewhat recognizable," she added.
Obama’s comments come as the Trump administration ramps up a major deportation push. More than 100,000 illegal immigrants have been deported since Trump returned to office. Border czar Tom Homan said an estimated 20 million illegal immigrants remain in the U.S.
The Trump administration’s deportation drive has drawn heavy criticism from Democrats. Yet under former President Barack Obama, deportations hit record highs. Former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano once praised “unprecedented numbers” of removals under Obama’s leadership.
Between 2009 and 2011, ICE deported more than 385,000 people each year. In 2012, deportations spiked again, topping 409,000 removals. Those figures were previously reported by Fox Digital.