Interviews during 2017-2019: on Immigration
Jo Jorgensen:
Citizenship for undocumented children only if born in US
Q: Path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented residents, including DACA participants brought to U.S. as children? Jo Jorgensen: Mixed. Supports "free movement & free markets." Opposes border wall and separating children from parents.
Children of undocumented immigrants should get U.S. citizenship only if born in U.S.
Howie Hawkins: Yes. "The federal government should end its defense in court of Trump's executive order attempting to end the DACA program." Supports open borders.
Source: CampusElect on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Aug 30, 2020
Gloria La Riva:
Full citizenship rights upon six months residency
We defend the rights of all immigrants to education, health care, and full civil and legal rights and call for an unconditional amnesty program for all undocumented people.
We oppose the imposition of any fees on those receiving amnesty. We call for full citizenship rights upon demonstrating residency for six months.
Source: Socialist PSL Platform adopted by 2020 presidential hopeful
Aug 3, 2020
Howie Hawkins:
All seeking asylum should be given permanent resident status
All persons fleeing political, racial, religious, or other types of persecution must be welcomed and given permanent resident status. The history of arbitrary denial of political asylum claims must be ended.
Particular attention should be given to those minorities who are political exiles and refugees and those whose lives would be at risk if asylum is not granted.
We oppose the militarization of our borders, (mis)using the National Guard as border police, and building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. We call for the immediate dismantling of the border wall.
We mourn the death of those thousands of men, women and children who have died trying to cross this border, where a couple of decades ago such deaths were virtually unheard of.
Source: Green Party Platform adopted by 2020 presidential hopeful
Jul 12, 2020
Jo Jorgensen:
Against border wall but deport immigrants who commit crimes
Jorgensen's position on immigration says the U.S. should not build a wall along the southern border or separate
children from parents who illegally entered the country. However, she also supports deporting illegal immigrants who commit serious crimes.
Source: KSL News Radio on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Jul 5, 2020
Rocky De La Fuente:
Nation which can't control borders is in grave danger
Guaranteeing the security of our national borders means that we must have the ability to monitor and manage all traffic crossing our land or sea borders. A nation which cannot control its borders places itself in grave danger to those who would
use that to their advantage, whether they be trafficking drugs or weapons, human trafficking, supporting a black market economy, or intent on terrorist attack.
Source: Reform Party Platform adopted by 2020 presidential hopeful
Jun 22, 2020
Jo Jorgensen:
No unreasonable constraints in crossing political boundaries
Political freedom and escape from tyranny demand that individuals not be unreasonably constrained by government in the crossing of political boundaries.
Economic freedom demands the unrestricted movement of human as well as financial capital across national borders.
Source: Libertarian Platform adopted by 2020 presidential hopeful
May 22, 2020
Don Blankenship:
Moratorium on immigration; discontinue federal assistance
We favor a moratorium on immigration to the United States, except in extreme hardship cases, until all federal assistance be discontinued and proper security procedures have been instituted against terrorist infiltration.
We oppose the provision of welfare subsidies and other taxpayer-supported benefits to illegal aliens, and reject the practice of bestowing U.S. citizenship on children born to illegal alien parents while in this country.
We oppose any extension of amnesty to illegal aliens. We call for the use of U.S. troops to protect the states against invasion. We oppose bilingual ballots. We insist that those who wish to take part in the electoral process and governance
of this nation be required to read and comprehend basic English as a precondition of citizenship. We support English as the official language for all governmental business by the United States.
Source: Constitution Platform adopted by 2020 presidential hopeful
May 2, 2020
Justin Amash:
Fix system so that people can immigrate to US lawfully
I support immigration and I think we need to fix our immigration system so that people can come here lawfully. Right now what we have is a system where millions of people come here unlawfully. And you'll probably have the same number of people arriving
in the United States, it's just that they would be lawful and that would be a benefit to our country. Because then instead of hiding, many of these people would go and integrate into society in a way that is beneficial to all of us.
Source: Reason magazine on 2020 presidential hopefuls
May 1, 2020
Joe Biden:
No one would be deported who hasn't committed a felony
Biden suggested that he opposed Barack Obama's deportation policy, but didn't speak out because he was vice president. "The president did the best thing that was able to be done at the time," he said at the September debate. "I stand with
Barack Obama all eight years--good, bad and indifferent." Biden said that deportations would be limited if he were elected. "No one would be deported in my administration who hasn't committed a felony," he said.
Source: The Guardian on 2020 Presidential Hopefuls
Jan 11, 2020
Gloria La Riva:
For 8 days accompanied 2018 refugee caravan to reach US
Gloria has been active in the struggle for immigrant rights. In November 2018, she accompanied the refugee caravan of 7,000 Hondurans, Salvadoran and Guatemalans for eight days in their arduous march through Mexico to reach the United States.
In the early 1990s, she was the initiator of the Farmworkers Emergency Relief campaign, following a disastrous freeze that left tens of thousands of Central Valley agricultural workers with no income.
Source: Liberation News on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Sep 29, 2019
Joe Biden:
Bring in asylum seekers & DREAMers AND secure border
The next president must institute effective immigration reform. That starts by recognizing that DREAMers are Americans, and Congress needs to make it official. Our asylum system needs to be improved--strengthen it so that it benefits
legitimate claims of those fleeing persecution, while reducing potential for abuse. And it's imperative that we secure our borders. Focus on improving screening procedures at our legal ports of entry and making smart investments in border technology.
Source: Miami Herald OpEd by 2020 presidential hopefuls
Jun 24, 2019
Beto O`Rourke:
Immediately undo Trump actions; work with Congress
Muslim ban, when has a country ever banned all people of one religion, as though they're somehow defective or violent? Or putting kids in cages or deporting their moms or keeping them separated, those things, we must overturn on day one.
But we're going to have to work with Congress to rewrite this country's immigration laws. The 9 million legal, permanent residents: let's make sure that they become citizens as soon as possible, waive their fees, mail them already-filled-out application.
Eleven million undocumented, start with the more than 1 million Dreamers. Free them forever from any fear of deportation by making them citizens in this, their true home country. Follow our asylum laws.
And then invest in solutions in Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador. Reduce violence there, so that no family has to make that 2,000-mile journey to our border.
Source: Meet the Press 2019 interview of 2020 presidential hopefuls
Jun 2, 2019
Bill de Blasio:
Supports sanctuary cities; would abolish ICE
He supports sanctuary city policies and has vowed to fight the Trump administration's plans to strip them of federal funding.
He has opposed ICE crackdowns, before calling for the agency to be abolished. He has even unveiled his plans to provide health care coverage for illegal immigrants.
Source: Townhall.com: "The 2020 Democrats" (presidential hopefuls)
May 18, 2019
Pete Buttigieg:
Most Americans are immigrants or their descendants
Buttigieg thinks the country needs comprehensive immigration reform, but hasn't said what that will entail. He thinks current policy at the southern border, including building the wall and˙separating families is bad policy.˙ "I'm here because of
immigration," he said in a Scripps College town hall. "My father immigrated to this country and that's why I'm here. And most of us, unless we're descended from the first nations have that in our story, either came here or were brought here."
Source: Indianapolis Star on 2020 presidential hopefuls
May 6, 2019
Seth Moulton:
Citizenship path for those who follow law
Moulton wants a "comprehensive immigration reform bill that curbs illegal immigration while providing immigrants who follow
the law and contribute to our society with a chance at the American Dream."
Source: CNN Town Hall with 2020 presidential hopefuls
Apr 23, 2019
Andrew Yang:
Immigrants make US stronger and more dynamic
We have well over 12 million undocumented immigrants. The most logical and humane path forward is to create a pathway to citizenship for people who are here and undocumented, particularly for the Dreamers who've really known no other home but the US.
I'm the son of immigrants. I believe that immigrants make our country stronger and more dynamic. There are many, many people who are here and undocumented that we should integrate into our formal economy and to society, if we can.
Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls
Apr 14, 2019
Andrew Yang:
Need more case workers & judges at southern border
We have a migrant crisis on the southern border. And it's in part because the composition of the people who are showing up at the border is changing, where now it's people who are applying for asylum, and unfortunately we don't have the resources to
process them in any kind of effective punctual or effective way, and so the waiting period is literally over a year in some cases. We need to put more resources to work on our southern border. We need more facilities, case workers, asylum judges.
Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls
Apr 14, 2019
Jay Inslee:
More hearing officers to process asylum cases
We've got to make the asylum process work. We have to have more channels, more hearing officers to simply be able to process these cases. You don't change the law just because you've got more cases in the federal court system or get rid of judges.
We need more processing facilities to help these folks. And yes, while they're waiting for their asylum hearings, we're welcoming them to the state of Washington because we have found these folks frequently become pillars of our community.
We should give the 11 million plus that are our neighbors, that are working, some of the hardest working people in the country, we need to give them a path to citizenship. We need to protect our "Dreamers." These people are in our universities.
They're going to be engineers. They're going to be businesspeople. We've got to have an American style of acceptance of refugees because we're a humane nation. We've got to have a humane policy.
Source: Meet the Press 2019 interview of 2020 presidential hopefuls
Apr 14, 2019
Jay Inslee:
Against Muslim ban; not afraid of diversity
We are not afraid of diversity in the state of Washington. We relish it. It is the basis of our economic and cultural success. We're built as a state of immigrants. We've welcomed refugees, as we did the Vietnamese refugees, with a Republican governor
back in the day. I was the first governor to say that our state was willing to take Syrian refugees. That's why I was the first governor to come out against the Muslim ban. That's why we've sued Donald Trump and won 18 times in a row.
Source: Meet the Press 2019 interview of 2020 presidential hopefuls
Apr 14, 2019
Julian Castro:
Asylum seekers have the right to be heard
We need to stop playing games with people who are seeking asylum. I don't think that we should treat them as criminals. Until about 2004, we treated somebody crossing the border as a civil violation, not a criminal one. They still have to come to court.
We still monitor them. We still have the option to deport them. Most people who are seeking asylum may not get it, but some will, and we should hear their claims.
I don't believe the narrative that people who are coming to our southern border, these families, women and children, that they represent a threat to our country. We should choose compassion even as we maintain a secure border.
When it comes to our DREAMers and it comes to other undocumented immigrants, I believe in a pathway to citizenship. That includes not only DREAMers, but people with temporary protected status, whom this president has put a target on their back.
Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls
Apr 11, 2019
Donald Trump:
Refugees can't come in; sorry, we're full
With his recent speech before the Republican Jewish Coalition, Trump insinuated that American Jews have dual loyalties, specifically when he referred to Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu as "your prime minister." Yet even more offensive was
Trump's xenophobic rhetoric on immigration, uttered before an audience of Jews, an ethnic group that was victimized by immigration xenophobia during the Holocaust.
Specifically, in referring to refugees seeking asylum in America from political persecution in their native lands, Trump stated, "You can't come in. Our country is full. What can we do? We can't handle any more. Our country's full. You can't come in,
I'm sorry."
These were literally the exact words antisemitic public officials used to justify America denying entry to European Jews fleeing Nazi extermination during the Holocaust.
Source: InsiderNJ.com on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Apr 9, 2019
Kirsten Gillibrand:
Treat asylum seekers humanely; reform process
I have a very strong record on immigration and for my 10 years in the Senate, I've been fighting very hard for comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship. I would not only work to pass comprehensive immigration reform but would
change what we do at the border. I would make sure that people seeking asylum would have access to real immigration judges and lawyers. I would make sure that the process was humane and I would take the enforcement removal operations and
I'd put it out of Homeland Security and put into the Department of Justice.I would protect the DREAMers. I would make sure that DREAMers that came to this country would have a pathway to citizenship so they can finish their schooling. So [if] they're
serving in the military, they can continue to serve. So they can start families and start businesses. It's really important that we recognize that immigration is a strength. I would make sure we pass comprehensive immigration reform in this country.
Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls
Apr 9, 2019
Mitt Romney:
Secure the borders; deport people here illegally
We're seeing unaccompanied young people, as well as families with lots of kids, pouring into the border. And they say the magic word, "I'm seeking asylum." We don't begin to have enough space in our facilities to maintain the kind of care that these
people deserve. It's overwhelming our system. We can't have millions upon millions of people flooding into our country without a border that's secure, without ICE making sure the people that are here illegally are sent back.
Source: Meet the Press 2019 interview of 2020 presidential hopefuls
Apr 7, 2019
Mitt Romney:
Reluctantly supports DACA, but need to crack down
[DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, was] put in place by Pres. Obama and I believe we have a responsibility to fulfill what is a presidential pledge and commitment. I would provide legal status for those Dreamers in the country. But overall,
we need to complete the border fence. We need to have a system that keeps people from getting jobs here if they're here illegally, and that's an e-verify system. And then we've got to deal with this asylum issue that's really overwhelming our system.
Source: Meet the Press 2019 interview of 2020 presidential hopefuls
Apr 7, 2019
Pete Buttigieg:
Problem isn't ICE; it's what they're ordered to do
We have worked very hard to be a welcoming city. People who are really important parts of our community are being torn apart from their families. This is not making us safer. When it comes to ICE, I don't care what the agency is called. I care what it
does. As long as you have an agency being ordered to tear families apart from one another or being ordered to make it harder to get on a path to citizenship, you're going to continue to have heartbreaking stories that are not helping anybody.
Source: Meet the Press 2019 interview of 2020 presidential hopefuls
Apr 7, 2019
Donald Trump:
Use threat of tariffs to get Mexico's cooperation
Mexico has been absolutely terrific for the last four days. They're apprehending everybody. Yesterday, they apprehended 1,400 people. The day before, it was 1,000. If they continue that, everything will be fine.
If they don't, we're going to tariff their cars at 25 percent.The system is full. We can't take you anymore. Whether it's asylum, whether it's anything you want, it's illegal immigration, can't take you anymore.
Source: PBS Newshour "System is full," on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Apr 5, 2019
Beto O`Rourke:
Stop refugee issue by dealing with what's driving them here
In his formal announcement, the former Texas congressman offered one of the most important policy proposals of the nascent presidential campaign:
He argued that to solve America's problems at the border, America's leaders must "help people in Central America where they are." In so doing, he began laying a foundation to effectively rebut Donald Trump on his signature issue: immigration.
Source: The Atlantic, "Trump's Trap," on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Apr 1, 2019
Donald Trump:
Cut off aid $700M to Central American Northern Triangle
After months of threats, President Donald Trump has officially taken steps to cut off aid to Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador--the three countries in the "Northern Triangle" of Central America that are the origin point for the current
unprecedented wave of family migration to the United States. The State Department acknowledged in a statement that it had notified Congress it was cutting off aid from past years (fiscal years 2017 and 2018) to the three countries.
An estimated $700 million in aid will be affected by the cutoff.It's still not clear exactly how the aid cutoff is going to work. According to the Washington Post, embassy officials didn't know whether the cutoff applied only to money
that hadn't yet been designated for particular contracts with nongovernmental organizations or whether they were actually supposed to cancel existing contracts that had already been signed and implemented.
Source: Dara Lind, Vox.com, on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Apr 1, 2019
Wayne Messam:
Blocked immigration enforcement on city property
In 2017, Messam took measures to combat President Donald Trump's immigration policy within his city.
He proposed regulations preventing immigration officials from entering city buildings and pre-kindergarten schools without a warrant.
Source: Townhall.com on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Mar 28, 2019
Cory Booker:
Support DREAMers, reform immigration to reflect our values
DREAMers are Americans in every way except for the piece of paper. When I become president, immediately I'm going to reverse Trump's actions and gives those DACA folks a pathway to citizenship. But we need comprehensive immigration reform.
The kind of thing that's going on is a direct abuse to our values. I will change that as your president, affirm our values, and create an immigration system that keeps us safe and works in accordance to our values, as well.
Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls
Mar 27, 2019
Andrew Yang:
Boost funding for U.S. ports of entry
- Immigration: A pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
- Yang would create a new "tier of long-term permanent residency" that would allow immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally to attain citizenship in 18 years.
-
If they register for the new tier, undocumented immigrants who have lived illegally in the country for "a substantial amount of time" would be able to work and live in U.S., while they wait to become citizens,
so long as they pay taxes and do not receive any felony convictions.
- As part of his immigration plan, Yang would also boost funding for U.S. ports of entry, improve technology to secure the southern border and strengthen environmental protections
along the Rio Grande.
- Yang also supports the DREAM Act, a proposal aimed at protecting young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children.
Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Mar 19, 2019
Beto O`Rourke:
Path to citizenship for all DREAMers
- During his six years in Congress, O'Rourke represented a border area in Texas.
-
He believes the border is secure, and would give legal status to millions of undocumented immigrants in the country now.
-
He has said he would like so-called "Dreamers," who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children, to get citizenship "today."
-
O'Rourke says he is "open" to the idea of abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, so long as there is a plan to transfer the agency's core responsibilities elsewhere.
Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Mar 14, 2019
John Hickenlooper:
Family separation policy is cruel and un-American
- Immigration and border security: Opposes family separation policy.
- Hickenlooper signed an executive order as governor prohibiting the use of Colorado state resources to help implement the Trump administration's family separation policy at the
southern border, calling the policy "cruel and un-American."
- Hickenlooper also did not send any National Guard troops to the southern border when Trump called on governors to do so in 2018.
Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Mar 4, 2019
Bernie Sanders:
Restructure ICE; don't necessarily abolish it
- Immigration: Path to citizenship for most undocumented immigrants. Restructure, don't necessarily abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
-
Most undocumented immigrants who are in the country now would receive a path to citizenship under Sanders' immigration plan.
-
He voted for the 2013 Senate immigration bill that proposed a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, doubling the number of border patrol officers, and providing an additional 350 miles of border fencing. (That bill did not become law.)
- Sanders would like to restructure ICE. But he has not given details and has not gone so far as to say that he thinks the agency should be "abolished," a position some of his 2020 Democratic rivals have taken.
Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Feb 19, 2019
Joe Biden:
Allow citizenship for DREAMers
[Visiting the University of Pennsylvania], "The majority of people think there's plenty of room to integrate these Dreamers into society," Biden said. "The vast majority of these kids, and now grown-ups, have been honorable citizens, have done well in
our education system, done well in our society, and have already become more American than many Americans by adopting the basic fundamental truths that we believe are the essence of what America is."
Source: The Daily Pennsylvanian on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Feb 19, 2019
Bill Weld:
Trump's deportation policy is like Nazi Germany
- Immigration and border security: Opposes Trump's deportation policies. Supports some form of legal status for undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.
-
In 2016, Weld was highly critical of Trump's rhetoric around immigration, and twice compared then-candidate Trump's proposals to deport
Mexican and Central American immigrants to the Nazi period in Germany.
-
Weld has also called for the federal government to issue more H1B work visas, calling it an economic imperative for the U.S. workforce to stay globally and economically competitive.
Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Feb 15, 2019
Bill Weld:
Guest worker program rather than path to citizenship
We should adopt a robust guest worker program, to assist our agricultural and construction industries, particularly in the western states. We don't need a path to citizenship for eleven million people, but we do need more and longer work visas.
Under the current regime, we're simply educating our competition in our graduate schools, and then sending them home to China and other economic competitors of the U.S. We may not need a long impenetrable wall, but we do need short-term bridges.
Source: Speech in New Hampshire by 2020 presidential hopefuls
Feb 15, 2019
Howard Schultz:
Border security ok, but don't demonize immigrants
The DREAMers should be allowed a pathway to citizenship. And the 11 million to 12 million unauthorized people who are here should get in line in a fair way, pay their back taxes, pay a fee, and bring them in. We are a country of immigrants.
The US should not be building walls. We should be building bridges and allow people in. It is the foundation of our society. But we also should do everything we can to secure the borders with the best technology available, and not allow bad people in.
Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls
Feb 12, 2019
Amy Klobuchar:
Increase legal immigration but don't abolish ICE
- Immigration: Path to citizenship for most undocumented immigrants. More temporary work visas. Do not abolish ICE.
- Most undocumented immigrants would get a legal status and path to citizenship under plans Klobuchar has supported.
-
She has also said she would increase legal immigration, with a focus on increasing the number of temporary work visas available.
- Klobuchar would reform U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but would not abolish the agency.
Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Feb 10, 2019
Jay Inslee:
Choose greatness instead of stoking fear among immigrants
Responding to President Trump's call to "choose greatness," Washington state Governor and potential 2020 presidential candidate Jay Inslee said
Trump should take his own advice--and choose greatness instead of "pursuing policies that stoke fear in communities and families across the nation."
Source: 2019 State of the Union: 2020 presidential hopefuls comments
Feb 6, 2019
Kirsten Gillibrand:
Reunite families ripped apart at the border
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today released the following statement in response to President Trump's State of the Union address: "President Trump has had years to bring this country together, but instead he has chosen to divide the
country across every single line he can imagine. If President Trump wants to convince the country that he actually cares about bringing us together, then he can start by no
longer using government workers as political pawns, reuniting the families that his Administration ripped apart at the border, and stopping with
political wedge issues like telling women they can't make their own health decisions in consultation with their doctor."
Source: 2019 State of the Union: 2020 presidential hopefuls comments
Feb 6, 2019
John Delaney:
Ending DACA program was cruel, heartless and mean-spirited
- Immigration: Comprehensive immigration reform. Path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Increase border security.
- Delaney supports comprehensive immigration reform.
- As a congressman, he cosponsored the DREAM Act in 2017, which
would have provided a path to citizenship for so-called "Dreamers," young undocumented immigrants brought to the country illegally as children.
-
He called President Donald Trump's decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, "cruel, heartless and mean-spirited," and said deporting "Dreamers" would be both morally wrong and damaging to the economy.
-
Delaney believes immigration reform should be modeled on the bipartisan 2013 Senate immigration bill, which would have given undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship and increased border security funding.
Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Feb 4, 2019
Julian Castro:
Against funding border wall
According to his campaign website, Castro said, "It's about separating our country from the rest of the world and cowering in fear. This is not how most Americans want us to behave--neither building a wall nor shutting down the government.
Let us be clear: Any bill to fund the government must not include any funding for a wall at our southern border. Democrats in Congress should not buckle to the tyrant's demands."
Source: Townhall.com: "The 2020 Democrats" (presidential hopefuls)
Feb 4, 2019
Cory Booker:
Supports DACA and DREAMers
- Booker supports protections for so-called "Dreamers," undocumented immigrants who entered the United States as children and are shielded by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
-
In late 2017, he and other Democrats refused to support an end-of-year spending bill that didn't include a legislative fix for DACA.
-
Trump tried to end DACA last year by executive order, but the move drew legal challenges that remain stalled in the courts, which means the program remains in effect, for now.
-
Booker attended Trump's first State of the Union address with a "dreamer."
- More recently, he sponsored a bill to prevent the Department of Homeland Security from giving personal information about DACA recipients to law enforcement.
Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Feb 1, 2019
Kamala Harris:
Re-examine ICE & start from scratch
- Regarding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Harris believes it's time to "re-examine" the agency and "probably think about starting from scratch."
- She has not joined other Democrats--including 2020 rivals Sens. Elizabeth Warren and
Kirsten Gillibrand--in explicitly calling for ICE to be abolished.
- Harris was a vocal opponent last year of the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy, which led to thousands of migrant children being separated from their families at the
southwest border.
- Harris co-sponsored the "REUNITE Act," legislation that aimed to reunite families separated at the border.
- Also, Harris introduced a bill to improve oversight at immigration detention centers, and a bill to strengthen
protections for unaccompanied migrant children in U.S. custody.
- Harris opposes Trump's border wall proposals, and has called on the White House to end the shutdown and agree to reopen the government.
Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Jan 21, 2019
Howard Schultz:
Hire 10,000 refugees from Trump's Muslim-ban countries
As a chief executive, Schultz cast himself as a compassionate leader who wanted to use his company for social good. He earned praise for the benefits he provided Starbucks retail workers, including a stock ownership plan and the opportunity to attend
college free online.When Trump announced a ban on U.S. visitors from seven predominantly Muslim countries in January 2017, Schultz announced a company goal of hiring 10,000 refugees in stores around the world.
Source: Washington Post on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Jan 18, 2019
Kirsten Gillibrand:
Reimagine ICE; support DREAMers
- Immigration and border security: Eliminate U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Reform immigration to include a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
- Since entering the Senate, Gillibrand has supported comprehensive
immigration reform and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including so-called Dreamers who were brought to the country illegally as children.
-
Gillibrand has also said she would eliminate and "reimagine" ICE. Last year, she proposed a bill that would require ICE and Customs and Border Patrol agents to collect more data when they stop individuals and ask about their immigration status.
-
Gillibrand's views on immigration represent a departure from her years in the House. Then, Gillibrand opposed what she called "amnesty" for undocumented immigrants, and opposed a plan allowing them to get drivers licenses in New York state.
Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Jan 16, 2019
Kirsten Gillibrand:
2006: anti-illegal alien; 2019: diversity is our strength
Gillibrand apologized for holding "callous" views on immigration on "The Rachel Maddow Show." Maddow discussed what she called Gillibrand's "conservative bona fides" in unseating a GOP congressman in 2006. Gillibrand used the expression "illegal
aliens," now a huge no-no for progressives, and called for making English the country's official language.Maddow reminded Gillibrand she once said she was "embarrassed" by her previous positions on immigration. "Well, I don't think it was driven from
my heart. I was callous to the suffering of families who want to be with their loved ones, people who want to be reunited with their families," Gillibrand said. "I recognize, as we all do, that immigration and diversity is our strength as a country.
It's always driven our economy. It's the American story. So looking back, I really regretted that I didn't look beyond my district and talk about why this is an important part of the United States story and why it's an important part of our strength."
Source: Washington Free Beacon on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Jan 16, 2019
Kirsten Gillibrand:
Blue Dog: opposed sanctuary cities & opposed amnesty
During her tenure in the House, Gillibrand was part of the Blue Dog Coalition, voting in favor of legislation that would withhold funds from sanctuary cities and opposing amnesty for undocumented immigrants. For those just getting acquainted
with Gillibrand in the Trump era, in which she has voted with the president's position less than 12% of the time (the lowest among her colleagues), her past views may come as a surprise.
On immigration, the New York
Democrat explained her shift: "I came from a district that was 98% white," Gillibrand said. "We have immigrants, but not a lot of immigrants. And I just didn't take the time to
understand why these issues mattered because it wasn't right in front of me. And that was my fault. It was something that I'm embarrassed about and I'm ashamed of."
Source: Washington Examiner on 2020 Presidential Hopefuls
Jan 15, 2019
Julian Castro:
Secure the border by using technology, not a wall
- Immigration, ICE and the border: Allow a path to citizenship for most undocumented immigrants. "Reconstitute" U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
- Castro supports comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to
citizenship for most of the estimated 11 million undocumented people in the United States.
-
Castro opposes Trump's border wall plan, and instead has proposed securing the border by using technology and a more efficient legal immigration process.
-
When asked if he thinks ICE should be abolished, as some Democrats argued in the run-up to the 2018 midterms, Castro told Bustle he thinks the agency needs to change its culture and be "reconstituted."
Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Jan 12, 2019
Beto O`Rourke:
End separating kids; make DREAMers citizens
There are hundreds of kids yet to be reunited with their parents. We can ensure that never again is another child taken from another parent coming here to seek asylum. We can insist that every one of those kids is reunited with their families.
Free Dreamers from any fear of deportation by making them U.S. citizens here. They're already as American as anyone else in any way that's meaningful. Let's make sure that they're also citizens so that they can contribute to their full potential.
Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls
Oct 18, 2018
Beto O`Rourke:
Opposes "open borders," but new wall unnecessary
I'm not in favor of open borders. We do not need walls, 2,000 miles long, 30 feet high at a cost of $30 billion, walls that would be built not on the international boundary, but miles into the interior, on someone's ranch or farm or home or property.
We'll have to use our power of eminent domain to take your property to build a wall that we don't need at a time of record security and safety on the border. The level of northbound apprehensions today is the lowest that it's been since 1971.
Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls
Oct 18, 2018
John Kasich:
Allies directly affected should repatriate Syrian refugees
President Trump deserves credit for improving on President Obama's strategy against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, in Syria and Iraq. Now that the terrorists' strongholds have been all but eliminated, the only remaining core U.S. interest at
stake is preventing ISIS from using those countries to mount future attacks against us. That mission does not require a major commitment of U.S. combat troops. With our help, allies whose interests are more directly affected than our own--such as
Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and European countries--should take the lead in mitigating the continuing but reduced threat from ISIS and in repatriating Syrian refugees. Going forward, we need to be much more careful and focused about how
we fight terrorism. We have to develop better criteria for when to intervene abroad. And when we do intervene, we need clearer guidelines about what kinds of resources to commit--for example, combat troops versus military trainers.
Source: 2020 presidential hopeful Kasich column in Foreign Affairs
Jun 6, 2018
Kamala Harris:
No border wall in any comprehensive bill
Harris voted against a Senate immigration bill backed by centrists from both parties earlier this month. She argued that while the bill would provide a pathway to citizenship for young immigrants who entered the country illegally, it was a step too far
because of the inclusion of money for President Trump's wall on the Mexican border, and that she could not support it in good conscience."While this bill would put Dreamers on a pathway toward citizenship, the appropriation of $25 billion for a
border wall is a waste of taxpayer money," she said. "A wall will not secure our border and I remain concerned those billions of dollars may also be used to implement this Administration's anti-immigrant agenda--one that targets California and its
residents."
Those close to Harris maintain that Harris has felt passionately for years about [immigration issues]. In particular, they say protecting dreamers has been her top priority since she was elected to the Senate.
Source: Amie Parnes in The Hill on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Feb 26, 2018
Oprah Winfrey:
Backs pathway to citizenship for all the illegal aliens
On illegal immigration, Oprah supports amnesty for all current illegal aliens. During that same speech at Harvard, she endorsed "a clear path to citizenship for the 12 million undocumented immigrants who reside in this country. It's possible to both
enforce our laws and, at the same time, embrace the words on the Statue of Liberty that have welcomed generations of huddled masses to our shores. We can do both." Of course, one cannot simultaneously enforce and ignore democratically enacted law.
Source: The Daily Wire speculation on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Jan 9, 2018
Tom Steyer:
$2.3M to recruit and train immigrant advocates
Democratic mega-donor Tom Steyer, is stepping up support of immigrant rights with a $2.3-million donation to the University of California Immigrant Legal Services Center and seven other organizations. The gift from Steyer's nonprofit,
NextGen America, will support a national legal services network to help recruit and train more advocates for immigrants. About $90,000 will help the UC center hire a full-time immigration attorney for a year at UC Riverside, where Steyer visited Friday.
Source: Teresa Watanabe in L.A. Times on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Oct 20, 2017
Steve Bullock:
Keep Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
Bullock brings up the Trump administration's recent decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program protecting young undocumented immigrants. He spoke out publicly against the move when it happened,
but he also privately confronted John Kelly, Trump's chief of staff, about the program's survival when the retired general was serving as the Homeland Security secretary earlier this year.
Source: Politico.com on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Oct 11, 2017
Tulsi Gabbard:
2015: Favor Christian over Islamic refugees
She was one of 47 Democrats to join the GOP in passing the SAFE Act in 2015, which would have added extra requirements to the refugee vetting process [affecting] the admission of Syrian and Iraqi refugees into the country. She introduced a resolution
calling for the United States to prioritize religious and ethnic minorities in the Middle East -- namely, Christians and Yezidis -- when granting refugee status. "These persecuted religious minority groups must be our first priority," she said.
She seems to have somewhat softened her stances recently. She came out against Trump's refugee and travel bans, for example. Around the same time, Gabbard spoke at an event held by the group Muslims for Peace, in which she uncharacteristically
spoke of "so-called religious terrorism" and affirmed that "the perpetrators of these horrific actions have no connection with the spiritual love that lies at the heart of all religions."
Source: Jacobin Mag., "Not your friend": 2020 presidential hopefuls
May 27, 2017
Pope Francis:
Opposes border wall between US and Mexico
Trump and Pope Francis have made no effort to hide their shared enmity over the past few years. During the presidential campaign, the Pope--who is revered for his deep humility and sincere affinity for the poor and downtrodden--was cutting about Trump's
plan to build a border wall with Mexico. "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not the gospel," Francis said in February 2016.Trump fired back via Facebook: "If and
when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS's ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President because this would not have happened.
ISIS would have been eradicated unlike what is happening now with our all talk, no action politicians."
Trump added, huffily, "No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man's religion or faith."
Source: Vox.com on 2020 Presidential Hopefuls, "Trump-Pope Meeting"
May 24, 2017
Pope Francis:
Vocal advocate for the plight of refugees
The pope is a passionate and vocal advocate for the plight of refugees, and he believes that man-made climate change is a critical problem that must be addressed by world leaders. Trump, on the other hand, has tried to temporarily
ban all refugees from the United States, called climate change a hoax created by the Chinese, and wants to back out of the Paris climate accords.
Source: Vox.com on 2020 Presidential Hopefuls, "Trump-Pope Meeting"
May 24, 2017
Jesse Ventura:
Border wall would make Reagan turn over in his grave
It seems to me that one of Ronald Reagan's most famous quotes was, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." I think Ronald Reagan today is turning over in his grave because the Republicans want to build a wall between Mexico and the United States.
To me, the whole wall is ridiculous. Do we want to live in East Berlin? No. And Ronald Reagan would not support this; he probably wouldn't even be considered for president in today's Republican Party.
Source: Time magazine on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Aug 2, 2016
Page last updated: Nov 01, 2021