Once upon a time, the Democrat Party was pro-America enough to at least be serious about protecting our borders and enforcing duly-passed immigration laws.
Even the most left-wing president of our time, Barack Obama, was committed to doing so, even earning the moniker “deporter-in-chief.”
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And while today’s Democrat Party no longer believes in the sanctity of borders, as demonstrated by Joe Biden’s disastrous ‘open door’ policies, a resurfaced video from 2008 reveals an Obama that is every bit as “MAGA” as President Trump when it comes to enforcing laws against illegal immigration.
A video originally recorded during Obama’s first presidential campaign resurfaced after being reposted on July 23 by Kevin Bass, quickly gaining traction on X as it was shared by conservative commentators and public figures.
Many argued that Obama’s remarks on border security and illegal immigration closely mirror positions now commonly associated with the Republican Party.
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In the resurfaced clip, Obama criticized the George W. Bush administration for what he described as its failure to effectively enforce immigration laws.
He argued that unchecked illegal immigration placed downward pressure on wages for American workers while allowing some employers to exploit undocumented labor.
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“This administration, the Bush administration, has done nothing to control the problem that we have,” Obama said.
“We’ve had five million undocumented workers come over the borders since George Bush took office. It has become an extraordinary problem,” Obama noted.
The soon-to-be 44th president went on to sound like Trump and today’s GOP when he argued – correctly – that unchecked illegal immigration put an economic hardship on communities by way of housing, schools, and healthcare.
He also argued that illegal immigrants took jobs from Americans.
“And the reason the American people are concerned is because they are seeing their own economic position slip away,” Obama continued.
“And oftentimes employers are exploiting these undocumented workers. They’re not paying the minimum wage. They’re not observing worker safety laws,” he said.
That’s what he said pic.twitter.com/7Px10A8Mqh
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 24, 2026
Obama, then a U.S. senator from Illinois, also promised that if he won, border security would be a top priority.
“As president, I will make sure that we finally have the kind of border security that we need. That’s step number one,” Obama said.
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“Step number two is to take on employers,” he said, adding that employers at the time faced almost no legal consequences for hiring illegal alien workers.
“Right now, an employer has more of a chance of getting hit by lightning than be prosecuted for hiring an undocumented worker,” Obama said.
“That has to change. They have to be held accountable.”
Obama concluded by saying stronger enforcement would allow the country to remain both “a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.”
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His administration increased funding for border security, expanded the use of surveillance technology, and prioritized the removal of immigrants who had committed serious crimes or posed national security threats.
During his first term, annual deportations reached record levels, earning criticism from some immigration advocates, who labeled him the “Deporter in Chief.”
At the same time, Obama repeatedly urged Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform that would strengthen border security while creating a pathway to legal status for many undocumented immigrants already living in the United States.
After Congress failed to act, he used executive authority to create the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in 2012 and later attempted to expand deportation protections through the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) program, which was blocked by the courts.
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Eventually, however, the program was allowed to continue.
President Trump during his first term attempted to end the program by executive order the same way Obama created it, but it was blocked by courts.
Eventually the U.S. Supreme Court upheld DACA.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
