Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton laid out her immigration plan on Tuesday in a speech Las Vegas, Nevada. She addressed students of Rancho High School, where 70 percent of students are Latino and a significant number are Dreamers, beneficiaries of President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration. Clinton repeatedly pledged to continue Obama’s executive actions on immigration, which are currently being challenged in the courts. She called the current immigration system “not smart” and “not right.”
“This is a family issue. It’s an economic issue, too, but it’s a family issue [....] It strengthens our country. We can’t wait any longer for a path to full and equal citizenship. When they talk about legal status, that is code for second class status.”
In the past, Clinton has waivered on support for undocumented immigrants. In the 2007 presidential debates when she was competing for then Sen-Barack Obama in the Democratic primary, Hillary was unclear about her support for immigrant driver’s licenses. She’s since clarified her position, but Latino activists have demanded strong action from the candidate. Today she sat in a room full of Dreamers who will be directly impacted by the
“I would do everything possible under the law to go even further,” Clinton said.
She called for a review process that would allow productive but undocumented immigrants to receive legal status. She also said that deportation procedures and policies needed to be reviewed, and that there is room for improving treatment of deportees. She also argued that immigrants are hard-work and, on the whole, provide net financial benefits to American society.
“Our undocumented immigrants in New York paid more in taxes than some of the biggest corporations in New York,” Clinton said.
A panel of Dreamers presented their own stories to Clinton. Astrid Silva, now a college student, told the story of her father falling victim Notario, a notary public who misrepresented himself as a lawyer and ultimately caused her father to be deported due to a botched immigration application.
“What are your plans to help my community and help my family not live in fear anymore.”
“I support the president’s action in the face of inaction. I was disappointed that in my time as a senator [....] we were not able to do anything.”
“I want to do more to make sure that DACA and DAPA and all of the changes that have occurred [are maintained] and even go further.”
One Dreamer, Rafael Lopez, who describe himself as transgendered, asked Clinton if she would lift the one year deadline currently in place for asylum seekers. She dodged the question, but pledged to increase access for “vulnerable populations” to legal representation. She also promised to reform the current ICE detention and possibly grant more bail arrangements to certain classes of immigrants who are waiting for deportation hearings.
“I don’t think that we should put children and people who are vulnerable into detention,” Clinton said.
Clinton and the Dreamers also discussed the national minimum wage, education subsidies and other Democratic Party platform issues.
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