In a recent interview with NPR’s Steve Inskeep, President Obama expressed hope about America’s challenges with race and identity but also said that, regardless of immigration, the country will inevitably become ‘browner.’
President Obama has indicated that, regardless of the policies Donald Trump’s administration institutes, America is set to become “browner.”
He made the comment during a recent NPR interview after host Steve Inskeep asked him if the "agonizing political year" has been beneficial due, in part, to resulting conversations about race and identity.
Obama acknowledged the existence of such tension before saying, “We can solve these things, but it's going to be challenging. And we've got to have an honest debate about it.”
He then added, “With respect to how we deal with each other, the demographics of the country are going to change. It's inevitable. The Latino community in America is going to grow. If you stopped all immigration today, just by virtue of birth rates, this is going to be a browner country.”
Meanwhile, Obama’s successor, Donald Trump, had pledged during his campaign to take a more hardline stance on immigration.
As such, immigration advocates and many in the Latino community expressed dismay and fear after his victory.
However, the Los Angeles Times has pointed out that, since he was elected, Trump appears to be have softened on some of his positions; for example, despite his campaign pledge to deport undocumented children in the U.S., he recently told Time, “We’re going to work something out that’s going to make people happy and proud.”
