UFC welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley held nothing back during a recent appearance on the Overdogs podcast, offering his views on America’s racial history and immigration enforcement.
When asked directly if America is racist, Buckley didn’t hesitate: “It was built off racism. Talking about America always been racist, man. You know, it’sBlack History Month right now, but I feel like every month should be Black History Month.”
The conversation turned to ICE operations currently taking place across the country. Buckley expressed strong reservations about the agency’s methods, though he clarified his position isn’t about opposing legal immigration enforcement.
“I’m not on the side of ICE at all because yet again, they’re not even doing their job correctly,” Buckley explained. “I understand getting people that come here illegally, right, and that haven’t made their way into this country the correct way. But at the same time, the way they’re going about it, they’re just picking anybody up off the street.”
Buckley raised concerns about racial profiling, noting agents could detain American citizens based solely on appearance.
He stated: “They can pick me up just because of who I am and say that I’m from Nigeria, I’m from Haiti, whatever. But I’m not. That’s the problem I have with ICE right now.”
The UFC star condemned ICE agents covering their faces during operations. “If you’re doing your job, you ain’t got to hide your face,” he stated plainly.
When podcast host Mike Perry joked about signing up as a bounty hunter for ICE, Buckley quickly responded: “You ain’t even going to check their papers, Mike. That’s crazy.”
Buckley also addressed boxer Deontay Wilder’s recent accusations of racism in boxing, expressing solidarity: “Being in the skin that I am, I feel where he’s coming from.”
The St. Louis native spoke about America’s diversity, pushing back against simplistic narratives. “America is such a melting pot now. It’s not just so black and white no more. You got plenty Mexican Americans, Chinese Americans, right? So many different ethnicities that live here and were born here.”
He continued: “American can look like anything because we have melted every culture within this atmosphere and that’s why we’re such a great nation in my personal opinion.”
Despite his criticisms, Buckley acknowledged the complexity of current events, noting that both sides of the political spectrum have valid concerns.
“Right now you literally got to pick a side. There ain’t no middle ground,” he observed about the polarized climate.
