Maxine Waters Pushes Trump To Deport First Lady

California Representative Maxine Waters sparked uproar by suggesting President Trump should deport his own wife Melania before implementing his immigration policies, igniting fierce debate about political rhetoric and the treatment of legal immigrants.

Key Insights

Rep. Maxine Waters suggested President Trump should consider deporting First Lady Melania Trump first as part of his immigration crackdown.
Waters made these controversial comments during a Los Angeles rally protesting cuts to the DACA program.
Melania Trump is a naturalized U.S. citizen who immigrated legally from Slovenia through a visa for individuals with “extraordinary ability.”
Waters questioned the documentation status of Melania’s parents, who became citizens in 2018 after being sponsored by their daughter.
The comments come amid President Trump’s renewed push for immigration enforcement and attempts to restrict birthright citizenship.

Waters Targets First Lady in Immigration Speech

During a Los Angeles rally protesting cuts to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, Representative Maxine Waters took aim at President Trump’s immigration policies by suggesting he should first look at his own family. Waters specifically targeted First Lady Melania Trump, who immigrated to the United States from Slovenia and became a naturalized citizen. The California Democrat’s comments were part of a broader criticism of Trump’s efforts to implement stricter immigration controls, including changes to birthright citizenship rules and accelerated deportations of illegal immigrants.

Waters specifically questioned the documentation status of Melania Trump’s parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, who became U.S. citizens in 2018 after their daughter sponsored them for green cards. Critics have pointed out the apparent contradiction between Trump’s public stance against what he terms “chain migration” and his in-laws’ path to citizenship. The controversy highlights the complex and often personal nature of the immigration debate that continues to divide Americans along political lines.

First Lady’s Legal Immigration Status

Immigration experts and supporters of the Trump administration have been quick to point out that Melania Trump immigrated to the United States legally, obtaining her citizenship through proper channels. The First Lady initially came to the country on a visitor’s visa in 1996 before receiving an H-1B visa for skilled workers. She later obtained what is known as an “Einstein visa” for individuals with “extraordinary ability” before becoming a U.S. citizen in 2006, a full decade before her husband became president.

“If he wants to start looking so closely to find those who were born here and their parents were undocumented, maybe he ought to first look at Melania,” Maxine Waters said.

Waters’ comments appear to conflate legal immigration with illegal immigration, as Melania Trump’s citizenship process followed established legal procedures. Her parents’ path to citizenship likewise adhered to existing immigration laws, though it occurred during a period when President Trump was publicly criticizing family-based immigration policies. This apparent contradiction has provided fodder for critics like Waters who seek to highlight what they view as hypocrisy in the administration’s immigration stance.

Rep. Maxine Waters attacked President Donald Trump’s mass deportation push over the weekend, suggesting that he should “first look at Melania.”https://t.co/e51m3vDfMe

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) March 26, 2025

Border Enforcement and Constitutional Questions

President Trump’s administration has continued its aggressive push for stricter immigration enforcement, including attempts to modify birthright citizenship rules through executive order. These efforts have faced significant legal challenges, with federal courts temporarily halting implementation as constitutional questions are resolved. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution has traditionally been interpreted to grant citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil, regardless of their parents’ immigration status.

“When he [Trump] talks about birthright, and he’s going to undo the fact that the Constitution allows those who are born here, even if the parents are undocumented, they have a right to stay in America,” said Maxine Waters.

Trump’s latest executive order aims to restrict automatic citizenship to children born to U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, representing a significant potential change to long-standing immigration policy. The administration has sought Supreme Court intervention after lower courts paused the order’s implementation. Critics argue the move exceeds presidential authority and requires constitutional amendment, while supporters contend it properly interprets the original intent of the 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause.

Political Reactions and Wider Debate

The reaction to Waters’ comments has been predictably divided along partisan lines. Supporters view her statements as highlighting perceived inconsistencies in the administration’s immigration approach, while critics characterize them as a personal attack on the First Lady that crosses political boundaries. Border Czar Tom Homan has dismissed Waters’ comments, emphasizing the distinction between legal immigration processes followed by the Trump family and illegal entry that violates U.S. law.

Waters’ controversial statement comes at a time of heightened tensions over immigration policy following President Trump’s reelection. The administration has prioritized border security and deportation of illegal immigrants as core policy objectives, fulfilling campaign promises made to supporters concerned about illegal immigration’s impact on American society. As this debate continues, political rhetoric from both sides appears to be intensifying rather than leading toward compromise solutions to complex immigration challenges.