By At a recent protest in Los Angeles, Congresswoman Maxine Waters offered a sharp critique of former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, turning the spotlight on First Lady Melania Trump’s path to U.S. citizenship. Waters argued that if Trump wants to go after immigrants with questionable legal status, he should begin by examining his own household.
In some deranged remarks, Waters condemned Trump’s latest executive order, which attempts to revoke birthright citizenship—a constitutional guarantee for anyone born on U.S. soil, regardless of their parents’ immigration status. The order, signed on Trump’s first day back in office, has already triggered a wave of lawsuits and fierce criticism from immigration advocates, reported Fox News.
“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 was seen saying from the stage of a rally in Los Angeles, various videos posted to social media show.
“We don’t know whether or not her parents were documented. And maybe we better just take a look,” she added.
Melania Trump was born in the former Yugoslavia and became a U.S. citizen in 2006, according to official government biographies of the first lady. She is the first U.S. first lady to become a naturalized citizen, and the second first lady to be born outside the U.S. – following President John Quincy Adams’ wife Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, who was born in London in 1775.
The first lady sponsored her parents, who were also from current-day Slovenia, for green cards and then citizenship after securing her own citizenship, the New York Times reported in 2018. Viktor and Amalija Knavs, the first lady’s parents, officially became U.S. citizens in 2018. Amalija Knavs died in 2024, while her father Viktor Knavs has been spotted with the Trump family during public events in recent months, including sitting next to first son Barron Trump during the inauguration.
🚨Deranged Maxine Waters rages about DOGE, floats idea to Trump: Deport Melania.
Democrats are determined to drive their approval numbers below 20% pic.twitter.com/8KesPaItCi
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) March 26, 2025
Though Melania has kept a low profile during this campaign cycle, her immigration history has resurfaced as a symbol in the broader conversation about what it means to be American. The debate over citizenship, identity, and national values continues to intensify, with Waters’ remarks adding fuel to the national discourse.
Waters also criticized the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), now led by Elon Musk, for gutting key federal programs, including services for veterans and immigrant communities. Protesters at the event, including Waters, voiced concern that Musk’s leadership poses a serious risk to the social safety net, according to Newsweek.
Musk responded to the Democrat’s rant by sending a cryptic message.
At some point, the many crimes of Maxine Waters will catch up to her https://t.co/qNTUhsAUlJ
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 26, 2025
Waters has been accused of ethics violations during her career, noted The BBC. “In a report, the Office of Congressional Ethics, an outside body, found that in 2008 amid the banking crisis that swept the US and led to widespread bank failures, Ms Waters arranged a meeting between Treasury Department officials and representatives of the National Bankers Association.”
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