Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., demanded First Lady Melania Trump be deported during what critics called a “a fiery — and wildly inaccurate — weekend rant” against the administration’s battle to enforce immigration laws.
The 86-year-old California lawmaker made the remarks during a protest against the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) austerity measures on March 22. Protesters are demanding that federal spending levels and the U.S. deficit be maintained; Republicans argue that current federal spending is unsustainable.
Waters connected spending cuts to birthright citizenship to the First Lady’s own legal immigration journey.
“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, 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,” Waters told the crowd.
“We don’t know whether or not her parents were documented,” she suggested without evidence. “And maybe we better just take a look.”
Elon Musk, the head of DOGE, slammed Waters on X: “At some point, the many crimes of Maxine Waters will catch up to her.” Public records indicate that Waters has no criminal history despite Musk’s claim.
Fox News host Sean Hannity called her “MAD MAXINE.”
MAD MAXINE! Crazy California Rep Suggests First Lady Should Be Deported in Unhinged Rant [WATCH]https://t.co/U6uVkKlsRQ
— Sean Hannity 🇺🇸 (@seanhannity) March 25, 2025
Immigration experts note that Waters’ comments show she doesn’t understand citizenship laws.
Melania Trump, born in Slovenia in 1970, did not enter the United States under birthright citizenship provisions. She moved to New York in 1996 initially on a travel visa, later obtaining an H1-B visa to work as a model.
She was granted residency through an EB-1 visa, commonly known as an “Einstein Visa,” typically reserved for individuals with extraordinary abilities in their fields.
The First Lady became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2006 after marrying Donald Trump in 2005. All of which was done legally.
She holds the distinction of being the first naturalized American to serve as First Lady and only the second foreign-born woman in this role after Louisa Adams, wife of President John Quincy Adams.
Melania Trump later sponsored her parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, for green cards. They became U.S. citizens in 2018. Amalija Knavs passed away in January 2024, while Viktor has appeared at recent Trump family events, including sitting beside Barron Trump during the inauguration.
President Trump’s administration argues that the 14th Amendment, which states that “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside,” was originally intended for former slaves and not illegal immigrants entering the country to have children.
His executive order currently faces a legal challenge heading to the Supreme Court. The administration seeks to prevent unauthorized immigrants from traveling to the U.S. specifically so their children can claim natural-born citizenship.
At the same rally, Waters also criticized the relationship between Trump and Musk.
“We are here because we are not going to let Trump, we’re not going to let Elon Musk, his co-president, or anybody else take the United States Constitution down,” she said.