The Fact Behind Obama Reportedly Saying in 2009 We ‘Cannot Have Half a Million Folks Pouring’ Over Border
Declare:
Throughout a speech in 2009, then-U.S. President Barack Obama mentioned, “We won’t have half one million folks pouring over the border […].”
Score:
Context:
Obama was calling for a “complete” strategy to immigration on the U.S.-Mexico border, arguing for strengthening the border in addition to taking a humane strategy with migrants who already resided within the U.S.
On March 10, 2024, an archival video of former U.S. President Barack Obama talking on immigration points, purportedly from 2009, went viral. The captions highlighted Obama’s phrases, “We won’t have half one million folks pouring over the border.”
The video was shared by Elon Musk and extra. One person on X said, “About 7 years later these similar positions had been thought-about racist and xenophobic by Democrats.”
(Screenshot by way of X)
Obama did certainly say the above phrases. Whereas the caption focuses on him speaking concerning the “half one million folks pouring over the border,” Obama did have extra so as to add. He mentioned new migrants must study English and must “earn” their citizenship, including that the federal government has to “deal” with present undocumented immigrants in a “humane style.” We thus charge this declare as a “Appropriate Attribution.”
Within the video, Obama may be overheard saying the next (emphasis, ours):
So this isn’t going to be a free experience. It is not going to be some prompt amnesty. What is going on to occur is you’re going to pay a major tremendous. You will study English. You will — you’re going to go to the again of the road in order that you do not get forward of any person who was in Mexico Metropolis making use of legally. However after you have accomplished these items over a sure time frame you possibly can earn your citizenship, in order that it isn’t — it isn’t one thing that’s assured or automated. You have to earn it. However over time you give folks a possibility.
Now, it solely works although for those who do all of the items. I believe the American folks, they admire and imagine in immigration. However they cannot have a scenario the place you simply have half one million folks pouring over the border with none form of mechanism to regulate it. So we have to take care of that concurrently we deal in a humane style with people who’re placing down roots right here, have develop into our neighbors, have develop into our buddies, they could have kids who’re U.S. residents. That is the form of complete strategy that we now have to take.
The total transcript for the speech may be discovered within the Obama White Home archives on-line. He made these remarks on March 18, 2009, at a city corridor. The total video may be discovered on The Obama White Home’s YouTube web page under (the second happens across the 39-minute mark):
We should always observe that the Obama administration deported greater than 2.4 million folks, almost as many as his two predecessors mixed. Nonetheless, many advocates of his insurance policies observe that he helped create protections for round 730,000 undocumented Dreamers, who had been delivered to the U.S. as kids.
Sources:
“Immigration Stands as Obama’s Most Evident Failure.” PBS NewsHour, 4 July 2016, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/immigration-stands-as-obamas-most-glaring-failure. Accessed 11 March 2024.
“Remarks of the President at Costa Mesa City Corridor.” Whitehouse.Gov, 18 Mar. 2009, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-costa-mesa-town-hall. Accessed 11 March 2024.
“City Corridor in Costa Mesa, CA.” Obama White Home, March 2009. www.youtube.com, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6qMFx_QBqI. Accessed 11 March 2024.
