Asian American boy breaks down after bully says Trump will get him

A video of a 12-year-old Asian American boy reduced to tears after being bullied and threatened with deportation by another child has sparked outrage on social media.

What happened: Max Tet, who lives in Iowa, was bullied rather than celebrated after winning a two-month-long soccer tournament with his team earlier this month. In the now-viral video, he recalls being harassed by another player who accused him of being undocumented. “This guy told me I’m an illegal immigrant even though I was born in America,” Max tells his mother Mtee. “He said Trump is gonna get me and send me back to where I used to live. I was born in America. I don’t live anywhere else!”

Max says the other child also called him an “effing b-word.” “I just don’t get why kids like this say those stuff. It makes me really sad how they just control their power like that,” he cries in frustration.

Reactions: As of this writing, the video has amassed more than 1.7 million views on Facebook, where Mtee originally posted it. The alarmed mother wrote in the caption, “All I’m asking is that [we] be nice to one another and treat each other with kindness. I am angry, hurt and honestly speechless!” Thousands responded in the comments to praise Max for speaking out and encourage him to continue being brave.

“Max, you are one brave guy. It’s not right, and it’s not fair. I know that being the one that’s in the right doesn’t make you feel any better, but I hope [you] will always be the strong guy you are right now,” one wrote in part. Another stressed, “This is horrible, Mtee! I hope that you’re able to talk to the coach and the parents and make sure that it doesn’t happen again. I’m so sorry!”

The big picture: Max’s experience stems from the Trump administration’s draconian immigration crackdown that utilizes racial profiling to round up and arrest people, including citizens. As we can see, the xenophobic rhetoric has influenced even children, raising questions on the extent of hate in and what the future holds for the country.

Last week, four students were detained by ICE agents in Minnesota, where protests continue amid Trump’s immigration enforcement. The youngest of them, a 5-year-old, has a pending asylum case and no order of deportation. In response, the Department of Homeland Security said ICE did not target the child, alleging that his father, an Ecuador national, “abandoned” him instead. School officials say the father and child remain in government custody.