What Happened Under Obama
Back in 2013 and 2016, the Obama administration carried out immigration enforcement actions that led to families being separated and people being deported. Reporters asked tough questions at the time and the White House publicly defended its priorities as enforcing the law, focusing on recent arrivals and criminal aliens. Those actions were handled in a calm, measured way by major outlets. There were no mass protests accusing the administration of being fascist or Nazi. The media narrative then looked very different than the one we see today, and that contrast matters.
How the Press Reacted Then
Video clips from those years show press briefings and interviews where journalists questioned the administration yet accepted answers without the kind of fevered outrage we now see. The White House press office said agents took precautions during raids, used female officers when appropriate, and had medical staff on hand. Reporting from outlets like the Washington Post framed these operations as law enforcement priorities rather than existential threats to democracy. It was treated as policy enforcement, not a moral apocalypse.
Obama’s Own Statements
President Obama himself discussed deportations in straightforward terms. He said his job in the Executive Branch was to carry out laws passed by Congress and that enforcement resources had been allocated to remove undocumented immigrants. When asked about pausing deportations for parents of young people who received deferred action, he said that was not an option. That plain answer did not produce the kind of relentless demonization we now see when a different party enforces similar laws.
Two Short Videos You Should See
Watch the archived clips and decide for yourself how similar situations were covered differently depending on who occupied the White House. Here are the original embeds to judge the tone and context firsthand.
2016. Obama's Press Secretary is asked about reports that during immigration raids, ICE agents were storming into homes, going room to room looking for illegals, and making children tremble with fear.
I thought only fascist Presidents do that sort of thing.
Why was the press… pic.twitter.com/oQ1UgeJiJg
— MAZE (@mazemoore) January 13, 2026
2013. Obama is asked if he would at least stop deportations of parents of children brought here illegally.
In other words, would he stop family separations and stop deportations of people who have “done nothing wrong.”
Obama: “That is not an option.”pic.twitter.com/GaEXsWgn7u
— MAZE (@mazemoore) January 11, 2026
What This Double Standard Says
The difference in coverage suggests selective outrage. When your team holds power you explain and contextualize. When the other team holds power you declare moral emergency. That is not a defense of harsh policy. It is an observation about how politics and media coverage can change the story more than the facts themselves do. Voters deserve consistent scrutiny no matter who is in office, not emotional swings tied to partisan preference.
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JIMMY
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