Clinton Misrepresents Sanders On Immigration During Latino Radio Interview
On Tuesday, Hillary Clinton went on Los Angeles radio show Erazno Y La Chokolata, a popular Latino program on 97.5 FM, and misrepresented Bernie Sanders’ 2007 immigration vote. Clinton’s attack comes as no surprise, as Sanders has aggressively eroded her lead among the Latino community. Since January, about 1.5 million people registered to vote, many of them young, and many of them Latinos.
Her guest appearance on the radio show was likely meant to sway Latino voters who do not pay close attention to politics to her side. The strategy could backfire, though, as many radio listeners have young, politically engaged relatives who know the truth.
She told the radio hosts that only criminals would be deported “while we work to achieve immigration reform.”
Clinton also indicated that Sanders does not support the Latino community or positive immigration reform.
Yes, in 2007, Sanders did vote against the immigration reform bill, while Clinton voted in favor of it. She can wave that flag around all she wants, but the fact of the matter is Bernie Sanders made the right choice.
At a time when Democrats had just recently overtaken both houses of Congress, the Bush administration was looking for ways to appease the base while stemming immigration from Mexico and other Latin American countries. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) introduced the bill, called the Secure Borders, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Reform Act of 2007. Let the name sink in for a minute. The “Secure Borders” part should be a hint about what this bill was really aiming for.
As Latino Rebels notes, the bill contained provisions that caused concern for Sanders, like adding 20,000 more Border Patrol agents. It also called for an additional 370 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border. It eliminated four out of five existing categories under which immigrants could apply for residency, tearing families apart instead of keeping them together.
While Sanders supported the DREAM ACT, which was embedded in the larger immigration bill, he had serious issues with the rest of it. He wasn’t alone in his reservations.
Several well-known and respected organizations also criticized the bill. The League of United Latin American Citizens decried provisions that would separate families and exploit immigrant workers, as did the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. The AFL-CIO compared the guest worker provision as a “modern-day Bracero,” a reference to a WWII-era program that was begun to meet labor needs.
The program also forced the deportation of millions of those workers under the 1954 “Operation Wetback,” including some Latino American citizens. The American Immigration Lawyers Association described the bill as “unworkable,” and said it would lead to more chaos in the immigration system.
Fortunately, the bill failed to pass, and now Clinton is attempting to use his “no” vote against him in the Latino community. What she has conveniently left out is that at a town hall in November, she discussed her support for a border wall.
“I voted numerous times when I was a senator to spend money to build a barrier to prevent illegal immigrants from coming in. And I do think you have to control your borders.
Bernie Sanders acabará con deportaciones que desgarran a nuestras familias https://t.co/GmkUBZta4M pic.twitter.com/sNyw9h5PRH
— La Opinión (@LaOpinionLA) May 30, 2016
During a debate with Sanders in February, Clinton defended her support of deporting unaccompanied minor children back to their countries, something she isn’t talking about with potential Latino voters in California. While she was secretary of State, in fact, several minor children were sent back to their home countries, some of whom were subsequently killed in violent attacks. Although she was not in charge of immigration, the fact that she would support sending children back to violent countries is troubling.
In a 2014 interview, Clinton said, “We don’t want to send a message that is contrary to our laws or will encourage more children to made that dangerous journey.”
Clinton has also blasted the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump.
“He wants to separate their families and wants to deport 11 million people and build a wall… We cannot let him even get close to the White House.”
Those are some fine words, especially from someone who actually voted to do those exact things. Despite Clinton’s obvious pandering to the Latino community, Bernie Sanders remains the only major candidate who is willing to oppose bad solutions to the very human issue of immigration.
[Photo by John Locher/AP Images]
