Democratic candidates debate in Detroit Michigan, July 30-31, 2019: on Immigration

Andrew Yang: Immigrants are being scapegoated; blame the machines

I'm the son of immigrants myself. My father immigrated here as a graduate student and generated over 65 U.S. patents for G.E. and IBM. I think that's a pretty good deal for the United States. That's the immigration story we need to be telling. If you go to a factory here in Michigan, you will not find wall-to-wall immigrants; you will find wall-to-wall robots and machines. Immigrants are being scapegoated for issues they have nothing to do with in our economy. Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit) Jul 31, 2019

Bill de Blasio: 11 million immigrants are here now and part of America

It's all kind of charade because there's 11 million people here, and everyone, in theory, has broken the law, but they're part of our communities now. They're part of our economy. They're our neighbors. Why are we even discussing on one level whether it's a civil penalty or a criminal penalty, when it's an American reality? And what we need is comprehensive immigration, once and for all, to fix it. Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit) Jul 31, 2019

Cory Booker: Decriminalize border crossings and treat people humanely

Rep. Julian Castro: Repeal Section 1325 of the Immigration Nationality Act [which is the legal basis for criminalizing border crossings instead of treating them as a civil violation].

V.P. Joe Biden: If you cross the border illegally, you should be able to be sent back. It's a crime.

Booker: No, we are not going to just let people cross the border. An unlawful crossing is an unlawful crossing, if you do it in the civil courts or the criminal courts. The criminal courts is what is giving Donald Trump the ability to violate the human rights of people coming to our country. Doing it through the civil courts means that you won't need these awful detention facilities that I have been to; seeing children sleeping on pavement, people being put in cages, nursing mothers, small children.

Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit) Jul 31, 2019

Cory Booker: We should not pit some immigrants against others

Joe Biden: This country can tolerate a heck of a lot more people. And the reason we're the country we are is we've been able to cherry pick from the best of every culture. Anybody that crosses the [border] with a PhD, you should get a green card for seven years. We should keep them here.

Booker: This really irks me because I heard the vice president say that if you got a PhD., you can come right into this country. That's playing into what the Republicans want, to pit some immigrants against other immigrants. Some are from sh-thole countries and some are from worthy countries. We need to reform this whole immigration system and begin to be the country that says everyone has worth and dignity and this should be a country that honors for everyone.

Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit) Jul 31, 2019

Jay Inslee: I'm proud to be first governor to accept Syrian refugees

We have to make America what it's always been, a place of refuge. We got to boost the number of people we accept. I'm proud of being the first governor saying send us your Syrian refugees. I'm proud to have been the first governor to stand up against Donald Trump's Muslim ban. I'm proud to have sued him 21 times and beat him 21 times in a row. Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit) Jul 31, 2019

Joe Biden: We are strong & great BECAUSE of diversity, not despite it

I'm running for president to restore the soul of this country. You know, we have a president, as everybody has acknowledged here, every day is ripping at the social fabric of this country, but no one man has the capacity to rip that apart. It's too strong. We're too good.

Just look at this stage, made up of very diverse people from diverse backgrounds, went on to be mayors, senators, governors, congresswomen, members of the cabinet, and, yes, even a vice president.

Mr. President, this is America. And we are stronger and great because of this diversity, Mr. President, not in spite of it, Mr. President.

So, Mr. President, let's get something straight: We love it. We are not leaving it. We are here to stay. And we're certainly not going to leave it to you.

Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit) Jul 31, 2019

Joe Biden: We are strong & great BECAUSE of diversity, not despite it

Just look at this stage, made up of very diverse people from diverse backgrounds, went on to be mayors, senators, governors, congresswomen, members of the cabinet, and, yes, even a vice president.

Mr. President, this is America. And we are stronger and great because of this diversity, Mr. President, not in spite of it, Mr. President.

So, Mr. President, let's get something straight: We love it. We are not leaving it. We are here to stay. And we're certainly not going to leave it to you.

Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit) Jul 31, 2019

Joe Biden: Problem is Trump, not criminalizing illegal border crossings

Julian Castro: What we need are politicians that actually have some guts on this issue.

Biden: I have guts enough to say his plan [to decriminalize the border] doesn't make sense. When people cross the border illegally, it is illegal to do it unless they're seeking asylum. People should have to get in line. That's the problem. And the only reason this particular part of the law is being abused is because of Donald Trump. We should defeat Donald Trump and end this practice.

Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit) Jul 31, 2019

Joe Biden: We've been able to cherry pick the best of every culture

This country can tolerate a heck of a lot more people. And the reason we're the country we are is we've been able to cherry pick from the best of every culture. Immigrants built this country. That's why we're so special. It took courage. It took resilience. It took, absolutely, confidence for them to come. And we should be encouraging these people. And by the way, anybody that crosses the [border] with a PhD, you should get a green card for seven years. We should keep them here. Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit) Jul 31, 2019

Joe Biden: Seeking asylum isn't an illegal border crossing; assist them

Q: In the first two years of the Obama administration, nearly 800,000 immigrants were deported, far more than during President Trump's first two years. Would the higher deportation rates resume if you were president?

Biden: Absolutely not. Seeking asylum is not crossing the border illegally. What we should do is flood the zone [with extra staff to deal with the large number of border crossers] to make sure we have people to make those decisions quickly.

Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit) Jul 31, 2019

Julian Castro: Must decriminalize border crossing to stop family separation

Castro: The only way that we're going to guarantee that we don't have family separations is to repeal Section 1325 of the Immigration Nationality Act. That is the law that this president is using to incarcerate migrant parents and then physically separate them from their children. My immigration plan would make sure that we put undocumented immigrants who haven't committed a serious crime on a pathway to citizenship.

V.P.Biden: If you cross the border illegally, you should be able to be sent

Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit) Jul 31, 2019

Kamala Harris: Kids whose parents crossed border are treated like criminals

Q: It is currently a criminal offense punishable by jail to cross the U.S. border illegally. Should we decriminalize the border?

BENNET: I disagree that we should decriminalize our border.

HARRIS: I went to a place in Florida called Homestead, and there is a private detention facility that currently houses 2,700 children. There were members of Congress there, [including Julian Castro, but] they would not let us enter the place. So I walked down the road, I climbed a ladder, and I looked over the fence. And I'm going to tell you what I saw. I saw children lined up single file based on gender being walked into barracks. The policies of this administration have been facilitated by laws on the books that allow them to be incarcerated as though they've committed crimes. These children have not committed crimes and should be not treated like criminals.

BENNET: There's not a single person on this stage who would ever separate a child from their parents at the border.

Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit) Jul 31, 2019

Kirsten Gillibrand: Treat people humanely at border; decriminalize to do so

Rep. Julian Castro: Repeal Section 1325 of the Immigration Nationality Act [which is the legal basis for criminalizing border crossings instead of treating them as a civil violation].

Gillibrand: I think when you talk about whether this should be a crime, you have to remember who we're talking about. When I was at the Texas border, I visited with women who had fled violence. A woman from El Salvador owned a small business, gangs came to her and said if you don't give us all your money, we're going to kill your family. Another woman was raped. This is who we're talking about -- and they're not criminals. It should be a civil violation and we should make sure that we treat people humanely.

Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit) Jul 31, 2019

Michael Bennet: Don't decriminalize border; it's Trump's nativist hostility

Q: Should we decriminalize the border?

BENNET: I disagree that we should decriminalize our border. I was part of the Gang of Eight, with John McCain, that wrote the 2013 immigration bill that passed the Senate with 68 votes, that gave a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented people that are here, that would pass the most progressive DREAM Act that had ever been conceived, much less passed on the floor of the Senate, and had $46 billion of border security. Every single Democrat voted for that bill.

HARRIS: Laws on the books allow [kids of border crossers] to be incarcerated as though they've committed crimes. These children have not committed crimes and should be not treated like criminals.

BENNET: There's not a single person on this stage who would ever separate a child from their parents at the border. That is what this administration has done in the American people's name. They have turned our border into a symbol of nativist hostility.

Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit) Jul 31, 2019

Tulsi Gabbard: Don't treat immigrants as second-class, but no free college

Q: You are a co-sponsor of the College-for-All Act which would make public colleges and universities free for all Americans. One of the authors of that plan, Senator Sanders, believes college should be tuition-free for undocumented immigrants as well. Do you?

GABBARD: I don't. I think it's important for us to fix our legal immigration system and look at the millions of undocumented immigrants in this country who have been suffering as they've been living in the shadows. And instead of putting a band-aid on this problem, fix our legal immigration system to provide them with that pathway to legal residency or citizenships, that they are no longer treated as second-class citizens in this country. This is something that is impacting my generation in a huge way and I believe that it is our generation that has the bold, creative solutions to be able to solve it. This is about promise for our future and we've got to make those kinds of investments.

Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit) Jul 31, 2019

Tulsi Gabbard: Secure borders AND humane immigration policies

Our hearts break when we see children at these detention facilities who've been separated from their parents, when we see human beings crowded into cages in abhorrent, inhumane conditions. We can have both secure borders as well as humane immigration policies. We have to stop separating children from their parents, make it easier for people to seek asylum, make sure that we are securing our borders and by reforming those laws. Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit) Jul 31, 2019

Amy Klobuchar: Immigrants don't diminish America; they ARE America

There is the will to change this in Congress. What's missing is the right person in the White House. I believe that immigrants don't diminish America; they are America. And if you want to do something about border security, you first of all change the rules so people can seek asylum in those Northern Triangle countries. Source: July Democratic Primary debate (first night in Detroit) Jul 30, 2019

Bernie Sanders: Xenophobia demonizes immigrants; refugees aren't criminals

Q: You want to provide undocumented immigrants free health care and free college. Why won't this drive even more people to come to the U.S. illegally?

SANDERS: No, because we'll have strong border protections. But the main point I want to make is that what Trump is doing through his racism and his xenophobia, is demonizing a group of people. And as president, I will end that demonization. If a mother and a child walk thousands of miles on a dangerous path, in my view, they are not criminals. They are people fleeing violence. And we've got to ask ourselves, "Why are people walking 2,000 miles to a strange country where they don't know the language?" So what we will do, the first week we are in the White House, is bring the entire hemisphere together to talk about how we rebuild Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador so people do not have to flee their own countries.

Source: July Democratic Primary debate (first night in Detroit) Jul 30, 2019

Beto O`Rourke: People who come here must follow our laws

In my administration, after we have waived citizenship fees for green card holders; freed DREAMers from any fear of deportation; and stopped criminally prosecuting families and children for seeking asylum and refuge; end for-profit detention in this country; and then assist those countries in Central America so that no family ever has to make that 2,000-mile journey, than I expect that people who come here follow our laws, and we reserve the right to criminally prosecute them if they do not. Source: July Democratic Primary debate (first night in Detroit) Jul 30, 2019

Elizabeth Warren: Fix the crisis at the border; don't just stir it up

Gov. Steve BULLOCK [to Warren]: We've got 100,000 people showing up at the border right now. If we decriminalize entry, if we give health care to everyone, we'll have multiples of that. The biggest problem right now that we have with immigration, it's Donald Trump. He's using immigration to not only rip apart families, but rip apart this country. But you don't have to decriminalize everything.

WARREN: We have to be an America that is clear about what we want to do with immigration. We need to expand legal immigration. We need to create a path for citizenship, not just for DREAMers but for grandmas and for people who have been working here in the farms and for students who have overstayed their visas. We need to fix the crisis at the border. And a big part of how we do that, is we do not play into Donald Trump's hands. President Trump wants to stir up the crisis at the border because that's his overall message. It's -- if there's anything wrong in your life, blame them.

Source: July Democratic Primary debate (first night in Detroit) Jul 30, 2019

Elizabeth Warren: Laws matter; don't lock up people who come seeking asylum

WARREN: The problem is that the criminalization statute is what gives Donald Trump the ability to take children away from their parents.

Gov. Steve BULLOCK: You are playing into Donald Trump's hands. The challenge isn't that it's a criminal offense to cross the border. The challenge is that Donald Trump is president and using this to rip families apart. A sane immigration system needs a sane leader. And we can do that without decriminalizing and providing health care for everyone. And it's not me saying that, that's Obama's Homeland Security secretary that said you'll cause further problems at the border, not making it better.

WARREN: What you're saying is ignore the law. Laws matter. It matters if we say our law is that we will lock people up who come here, seeking refuge, seeking asylum. That is not a crime. We need to have a sane system that keeps us safe at the border, but does not criminalize the activity of a mother fleeing here for safety.

Source: July Democratic Primary debate (first night in Detroit) Jul 30, 2019

Elizabeth Warren: We need border security but must live by our values

The problem is that the criminalization statute is what gives Donald Trump the ability to take children away from their parents. It's what gives him the ability to lock up people at our borders. We need to continue to have border security, and we can do that, but what we can't do is not live our values. I've been down to the border. I have seen the mothers. I have seen the cages of babies. We must be a country that everyday lives our values. And that means we cannot make it a crime. Source: July Democratic Primary debate (first night in Detroit) Jul 30, 2019

Pete Buttigieg: Crossing the border illegally should still be illegal

Q: You're in favor of getting rid of the law that makes it a crime to come across the border illegally. Why won't that just encourage more illegal immigration?

BUTTIGIEG: When I am president, illegally crossing the border will still be illegal. We can argue over the finer points of which parts of this ought to be handled by civil law and which parts ought to be handled by criminal law. But we've got a crisis on our hands. Americans want comprehensive immigration reform. We've been talking about the same framework for my entire adult lifetime, protections for DREAMers; making sure that we have a pathway to citizenship for the undocumented; cleaning up lawful immigration. We know what to do. The problem is we haven't had the will to get it done in Washington.

Q: But didn't you raise your hand in the last debate, to decriminalize crossing the border illegally?

BUTTIGIEG: If fraud is involved, then that's suitable for the criminal statute. If not, then it should be handled under civil law.

Source: July Democratic Primary debate (first night in Detroit) Jul 30, 2019

Steve Bullock: Healthcare for immigrant means more border crossers

Q: You oppose giving health insurance to undocumented immigrants. Why not?

BULLOCK: We've got 100,000 people showing up at the border right now. If we decriminalize entry, if we give health care to everyone, we'll have multiples of that. Don't take my word: that was President Obama's Homeland Security secretary that said that. The biggest problem right now that we have with immigration, it's Donald Trump. He's using immigration to not only rip apart families, but rip apart this country. We can actually get to the point where we have safe borders, where we have a path to citizenship, where we have opportunities for DREAMers. And you don't have to decriminalize everything. What you have to do is have a president in there with the judgment and the decency to treat someone that comes to the border like one of our own.

Source: July Democratic Primary debate (first night in Detroit) Jul 30, 2019

Steve Bullock: Playing into Trumps hands, don't decriminalize

Sen. Elizabeth WARREN: The problem is that the criminalization statute is what gives Donald Trump the ability to take children away from their parents.

BULLOCK: You are playing into Donald Trump's hands. The challenge isn't that it's a criminal offense to cross the border. The challenge is that Donald Trump is president and using this to rip families apart. A sane immigration system needs a sane leader. And we can do that without decriminalizing and providing health care for everyone. And it's not me saying that, that's Obama's Homeland Security secretary that said you'll cause further problems at the border, not making it better.

Source: July Democratic Primary debate (first night in Detroit) Jul 30, 2019

Tim Ryan: Don't decriminalize people just walking into the US

If you want to come into the country, you should at least ring the doorbell. We have asylum laws. Even if you decriminalize, which we should not do, you still have statutory authority. The president could still use his authority to separate families. So we've got to get rid of Donald Trump. But you don't decriminalize people just walking into the United States. If they're seeking asylum, we want to welcome them. We're a strong enough country to be able to welcome them. Source: July Democratic Primary debate (first night in Detroit) Jul 30, 2019

The above quotations are from Democratic candidates debate in Detroit Michigan, July 30-31, 2019. Click here for definitions & background information on Immigration. Click here for other issues (main summary page). Click here for more quotes by Joe Biden on Immigration. Click here for more quotes by Pete Buttigieg on Immigration.
*2020 Presidential contenders on Immigration:*
	*Republicans:* Gov.Larry Hogan (R-MD) ~~Gov.John Kasich~~(R-OH) V.P.Mike Pence(R-IN) Gov.Mark Sanford (R-SC) Pres.Donald Trump(NY) Rep.Joe Walsh (R-IL) Gov.Bill Weld(MA & NY)	*Democrats:* Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO) V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE) Gov.Steve Bullock (D-MT) Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN) Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ) Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX) Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC) Rep.John Delaney (D-MD) Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK) Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA) ~~Gov.John Hickenlooper~~ (D-CO) ~~Gov.Jay Inslee~~ (D-WA) Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) Mayor Wayne Messam (D-FL) Rep.Seth Moulton (D-MA) Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX) Rep.Tim Ryan (D-CA) Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT) Adm.Joe Sestak (D-PA) CEO Tom Steyer (D-CA) ~~Rep.Eric Swalwell~~ (D-CA) Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) Marianne Williamson (D-CA) CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY) *2020 Third Party Candidates:* Rep.Justin Amash (L-MI) Howie Hawkins (G-NY) ~~Gov.Gary Johnson~~(L-NM) V.P.Mike Pence (R-IN) ~~Howard Schultz~~(I-WA) V.C.Arvin Vohra (L-MD)
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Page last updated: Sep 08, 2019