Nicki Minaj’s Old Immigration Post Resurfaces, Fueling Backlash Over Her Recent Pro-Trump Turn

A resurfaced Facebook post from 2018 is reigniting debate around Nicki Minaj and her shifting views on immigration — especially as she has recently voiced support for President Donald Trump and figures aligned with his hardline agenda.

In the newly rediscovered post, written during Trump’s first term, Minaj expressed deep empathy for migrant children separated from their parents at the U.S. border. She wrote that she came to the United States as an undocumented child at age five and said she couldn’t imagine the “terror & panic” those children felt. The post included a widely circulated image of children lying on mats under foil blankets inside a fenced detention area.

That message stands in sharp contrast to Minaj’s more recent public stance. Over the past year, she has praised Trump and criticized media figures like Don Lemon for covering immigration protests, including a demonstration at a Minnesota church opposing ICE activity.

Most notably, Minaj recently reacted positively to a video featuring Katie Miller, who was promoting the SAVE Act — legislation aimed at preventing undocumented immigrants from voting. Miller is married to Stephen Miller, one of the architects of Trump-era immigration policies.

Adding to the controversy is Minaj’s own legal status. As recently as 2024, the rapper stated during a TikTok Live that she is not a U.S. citizen. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Minaj said she has lived in the United States for many years and joked that the millions she has paid in taxes should have earned her “honorary citizenship.”

Critics have questioned how Minaj could publicly support restrictive immigration policies while also describing herself as a non-citizen who once entered the country illegally. The contradiction has fueled speculation about her motivations, with Lemon and others suggesting her political alignment may be strategic.

Some have gone further, speculating that Minaj’s apparent MAGA enthusiasm could be tied to concerns about her family. Her husband, Kenneth Petty, is a registered sex offender, and her brother, Jelani Maraj, is currently incarcerated in New York following a conviction for predatory sexual assault.

The irony stretches back more than a decade. On Kanye West’s 2012 track “Mercy,” Minaj famously rapped that she was “a Republican, voting for Mitt Romney.” If her recent statements about citizenship are accurate, she would not have been legally allowed to vote at the time.

As the old post continues to circulate, fans and critics alike are debating whether Minaj’s evolving political voice reflects genuine belief, personal self-interest, or simply provocation — a familiar space for one of pop culture’s most polarizing figures.