Hillary Clinton TPP: L.A. Protests Adds Pressure To Oppose Trade Deal

Los Angeles -- After Hillary Clinton outlined a clear position on immigration earlier this week, a Latino advocacy group is calling for the presidential candidate to oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. Clinton has avoided taking a position on the deal which the White House and some Democrats support, but many oppose. A small group of protesters rallied outside of a Clinton fundraiser in Los Angeles on Thursday. Among them were representatives of Presente.org, who applauded elements of Clinton’s pro-immigration policies, but said that international trade deals such as the TPP would exacerbate existing immigration issues.

“Presente.org is particularly concerned about the effects the deal will have on Latinos. Past trade deals have destabilized Latin American economies, forcing many to flee to the United States, where immigrants face increased anti-immigrant and xenophobic hostility,” said group representatives, in a statement.

One of those past trade deals is the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), whose legacy for U.S. and Mexican workers is disputed. Two trends followed the passage of the deal: an increased migration to the U.S. and a loss of manufacturing jobs. Yet because of the rapidly evolving global economy, few if any economists can quantify NAFTA’s role. Democrats supporting the TPP argue that despite correlations between trade deals and job losses in the past, enforceable labor and environmental provisions in the bill will keep American workers competitive. Activists have called the TPP “NAFTA on steroids,” a behemoth that would affect not just Mexico and the U.S., but 10 other countries including Peru and Chile.

“The reason that we believe Hillary Clinton is critical to this issue is that she is very likely to be the next president of the United States, and we need a candidate that reflects and understands the issues of Latino communities,” Arturo Carmona, the executive director of Presente.org told AlJazeera ahead of the protest. “Trade agreements like TPP can have a disastrous effect on our families and our Latin American brothers and sisters.”

While international solidarity might not be enough to rally opposition in congress, a growing coalition of top Democrats may bring the TPP out of backroom negotiations and into the center stage of the 2016 presidential race. That’s despite strong support of President Barack Obama, who employed Clinton as Secretary of State. If successful, the measures could force Hillary Clinton to take a position and even disagree with her former boss. Prominent opponents of TPP include Senate Minority leader Harry Reid and presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont).

"I have voted against every disastrous trade agreement coming down the pike and helping to lead the effort against this Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would mean the outsourcing of more good paying job to low-wage countries," Sanders told CNN on Wednesday.

With Sanders, Martin O’Malley and other possible Democratic contenders opposing the deal, Hillary might not be able to hedge any longer.