Democratic Debate: Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton Promise Guatemalan Woman To Stop Deportation, Bring America Together Again

Immigration was one of the main topics during the Democratic Presidential Debate in Miami on Wednesday night. Because the sate of Florida has one of the largest Latino communities in the U.S., Latino voices were present and spoke out about the fears our community is facing after finding out Donald Trump’s damaging and incredibly inaccurate rhetoric is being accepted more and more across the country.

Guatemalan immigrant, Lucia Quiej, was the one in charge to ask the most powerful question during the debate: What is your plan to reunite families like hers that have been separated because of deportation? Quiej attended the event with her five children, who have not seen their father since he was deported for not having a valid license three years ago.

“We have an enormous heartache, my children and I. The father of my children was deported because he had no license,” Quiej said addressing Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. “He was a hard-working man, in the farming field and in construction. What can you do to stop the deportations and unify the families?”

Clinton and Sanders, unlike the opposition party, stated they support immigrants and their proposal is to bring America together again. “Well, I absolutely support that,” said Sanders. “And the heart of my immigration policy…and I should say that the New York Times called my immigration policy the most progressive and the strongest of any candidate running. But to answer your question, the essence of what we are trying to do is unite families, not to divide families. The idea that a mother is living here and her children are on the other side of the border is wrong and immoral.”

The former Secretary of State of The United States began by admiring Lucia’s strength. “First of all, please know how brave I think you are coming here with your children to us your story. This is an incredible act of courage that I don’t think many people really understand,” Clinton told the mother of five. “And I want you to know that in the many families that I have met, I have heard similar stories. Like yours, where your husband is deported, your children’s father is gone. You are doing your very best to support your children but…it is time to bring families together and I don’t think there’s any doubt that we must do more to let stories like yours be heard more widely so Americans know what the human cost of these policies are, and I will do everything I can to prevent other families from facing what you are facing.”