Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, 2016/Immigration
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 Bernie Sanders |
U.S. Senator (Assumed office: 2007) U.S. Representative (1991-2007) |
2028 • 2024 • 2020 • 2016 |
This page was current as of the 2016 election.
| CANDIDATE SUMMARY | |
- Sanders visited the U.S.-Mexico border on May 21, 2016, where he promised action on immigration reform if elected president. “I would hope that the Republicans in Congress understand that we have a very, very broken immigration system and that it must be reformed and that they should in fact work with Democrats to pass comprehensive immigration reform. If not and if I am elected president of the United States, I will use the executive powers that the president has to do that the best that I can,” said Sanders.[2]
- Sanders said on May 12, 2016, that he continues to oppose “the painful and inhumane business of locking up and deporting families who have fled horrendous violence in Central America and other countries,” following reports that the Obama administration would be conducting large-scale immigration raids.[3]
- At a press conference in Arizona on March 20, 2016, Sanders called the current debate over illegal immigration “a trumped up and exaggerated problem.” He continued, “We don’t need a wall and we don't need barbwire. We need to fix our broken criminal justice system. First and foremost, it goes without saying that we need comprehensive immigration reform, we need to take 11 million undocumented people out of the shadows, out of fear, and we need to provide them with legal protection, and we need to provide them with a path toward citizenship."[4]
- At the sixth Democratic presidential primary on February 11, 2016, Bernie Sanders talked about President Obama’s deportation policies and comprehensive Immigration reform: “Secretary Clinton, I do have a disagreement here. If my memory is correct, I think when we saw children coming from these horrendous, horrendously violent areas of Honduras and neighboring countries, people who are fleeing drug violence and cartel violence, I thought it was a good idea to allow those children to stay in this country. That was not, as I understand it, the secretary's position. In terms of 2007 immigration reform, yeah, I did vote against it. I voted against it because the Southern Poverty Law Center, among other groups, said that the guest-worker programs that were embedded in this agreement were akin to slavery. Akin to slavery, where people came into this country to do guest work were abused, were exploited, and if they stood up for their rights, they'd be thrown out of this country. So it wasn't just me who opposed it. It was LULAC, one of the large Latino organizations in this country. It was the AFL-CIO. It was some of the most progressive members of the United States Congress who opposed it for that reason. But we are where we are right now. And where we are right now is we have got to stand up to the Trumps of the world who are trying to divide us up. What we have to do right now is bring our people together and understand that we must provide a path towards citizenship for 11 million undocumented people.”[5]
- In a letter to President Obama on January 7, 2016, Sanders called for the end of “inhumane” deportation raids on families from Central America. He urged the president to use his executive authority to grant Temporary Protected Status to the families on the basis that they have fled from extreme violence and persecution.[6]
- In response to reports that refugees from Central America would be deported following raids, Sanders released a statement on December 24, 2015, which said, “I am very disturbed by reports that the government may commence raids to deport families who have fled here to escape violence in Central America. As we spend time with our families this holiday season, we who are parents should ask ourselves what we would do if our children faced the danger and violence these children do? How far would we go to protect them?"[7]
- On December 3, 2015, Sanders expressed support for more than 150 asylum-seekers protesting conditions in the immigrant detention system by holding a hunger strike. “These aspiring Americans should not be criminalized, subjected to dehumanizing solitary confinement or indefinitely detained. [...] The United States must meet our international responsibilities to families seeking refuge,” said Arturo Carmona, Sanders’ Latino outreach director.[8]
- In a meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on October 1, 2015, Sanders said that he supported some undocumented immigrants having access to healthcare under Obamacare. An aide to Sanders clarified that he did not support undocumented immigrants receiving federal subsidies.[9]
- In an interview with Vox in July 2015, Sanders called an “open border” policy a “Koch brothers proposal.” Explaining his belief that such a policy would lead to lower wages and increase poverty, Sanders said, “It would make everybody in America poorer —you're doing away with the concept of a nation state, and I don't think there's any country in the world that believes in that. If you believe in a nation state or in a country called the United States or UK or Denmark or any other country, you have an obligation in my view to do everything we can to help poor people. What right-wing people in this country would love is an open-border policy. Bring in all kinds of people, work for $2 or $3 an hour, that would be great for them. I don't believe in that. I think we have to raise wages in this country, I think we have to do everything we can to create millions of jobs.”[10]
- Sanders voted for the comprehensive immigration reform bill, S 744 - Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, which passed the Senate on June 27, 2013.[11]
- Sanders voted against HR 6095 - Immigration Law Enforcement Act of 2006, which, among other things, sought to affirm "that state and local law enforcement personnel have the inherent authority to investigate, identify, arrest, detain, or transfer to federal custody aliens in the United States (including the transportation of such aliens across state lines to detention centers) for purposes of assisting in the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws in the course of carrying out routine duties."[12]
- Sanders voted against HR 6061 - Secure Fence Act of 2006, which required the Secretary of Homeland Security construct a fence along the U.S. - Mexico border "to prevent unlawful border entry and facilitate border access by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, such as additional checkpoints, all weather access roads, and vehicle barriers." It became law on October 26, 2006.[13]
- Sanders voted against HR 4437 - Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, which, among other things, proposed directing "the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to take all appropriate actions to maintain operational control over the U.S. international land and maritime borders."[14]
DACA/ DAPA
| CANDIDATE SUMMARY | |
- After the United States Supreme Court blocked President Obama from implementing his Immigration Accountability Executive Actions on June 23, 2016, Bernie Sanders tweeted: "Today's deadlocked immigration ruling means that more than 4 million aspiring Americans will be left waiting for much-needed answers."[15]
- Sanders released a statement on January 19, 2016, applauding the U.S. Supreme Court for deciding to review the constitutionality of President Obama's Immigration Accountability Executive Actions. Sanders said, “The president did exactly the right thing when he took action to protect Dreamers and the parents of children who are citizens or legal permanent residents. I am confident the president has the legal authority to take this bold action. Clearly the best form of action is for Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform to put undocumented people on a path toward citizenship. But if Congress fails to act, as president I would uphold and expand the president’s action."[16]
- In November 2015, Sanders supported Obama’s decision to appeal the Fifth Circuit ruling that blocked the president’s executive actions regarding immigration. Sanders said, “The president is absolutely right to appeal this unfortunate lower-court decision. American immigration policy should be about uniting families, not separating families. President Obama believes that the parents of children who are citizens or legal permanent residents should be able to stay with their children, not be forced out of the country. I look forward to the Supreme Court acknowledging the president’s position.”[17]
- While campaigning in Las Vegas on November 9, 2015, Sanders said that he would expand on Obama's deferred actions programs for undocumented young people and parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. He said he would supplement the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and the Deferred Action for Parents of U.S. Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program by offering deportation relief for parents of DACA recipients, along with other family members and anyone who would have been eligible for legal status under the 2013 immigration reform bill that passed the Senate but never got a vote in the House.[18]
- Sanders' campaign website states that "As President, Senator Sanders will expand President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) to provide broad administrative relief to the parents of DREAMers, the parents of citizens, the parents of legal permanent residents, and other immigrants who would have been given legal protections by the 2013 Senate-passed immigration bill. This would allow all undocumented people who have been in the United States for at least five years to stay in the country without fear of being deported. This broad administrative relief is well within the President’s executive authority. Over 85% of the nation’s aspiring Americans have resided in the United States for at least five years. Under this plan, close to nine million individuals would be able to apply for deferred action."[19]
Recent news
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See also
Footnotes
- ↑ VPR, "Bernie Sanders Is Streaming His Presidential Announcement On Periscope," April 30, 2015
- ↑ Bernie Sanders for President, "Press Release: Sanders Visits U.S.-Mexican Border," May 21, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Clinton, Sanders reaffirm opposition to Obama immigration raids," May 12, 2016
- ↑ ABC News, "Bernie Sanders on the Border: 'We Don’t Need a Wall,'" March 19, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Transcript: The Democratic debate in Milwaukee, annotated," February 11, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Times, "Sanders demands halt to deportations to Central America," January 7, 2016
- ↑ The Hill, "Sanders blasts Obama 'raids' plan," December 24, 2015
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Bernie Sanders, Martin O'Malley Campaigns Support Immigrant Hunger Strike," December 3, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Bernie Sanders tells Latino lawmakers: Undocumented immigrants should benefit from Obamacare," October 1, 2015
- ↑ Vox, "Bernie Sanders: The Vox conversation," July 28, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.744 - Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act," accessed January 23, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.6095," accessed April 8, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.6061," accessed April 8, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.4437," accessed April 8, 2015
- ↑ Twitter, "Bernie Sanders," accessed June 23, 2016
- ↑ Bernie 2016, "Sanders Statement on High Court Immigration Case," accessed January 20, 2016
- ↑ Politicus USA, "Liberals Storm The Supreme Court As Bernie Sanders Backs Obama On Immigration Appeal," November 10, 2015
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Bernie Sanders Promises Action On Immigration In First 100 Days As President," November 9, 2015
- ↑ BernieSanders.com, "A Fair and Humane Immigration Policy," accessed April 7, 2016
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