Democratic Presidential Candidates Bernie Sanders, Martin O'Malley Amplify Immigration Reform Platfo
'As reported in Las Vegas Review-Journal, the former governor of Maryland said that he represented a different way of regarding immigration. "The generation that I represent understands that comprehensive immigration reform is in the best economic interests of the United States as a whole," said O'Malley.
Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley have further detailed their respective plans for immigration reform.
Speaking to a national immigration reform summit meeting in Nevada, the Sen. Sanders, I-Vt., said the nation could not afford to engage in any kind of mass deportation. “We cannot and we should not sweep up millions of men, women and children -- many of whom have been in the United States for years -- and throw them out of the country,” he said.
A statement sent to Latin Post explained that, if elected president, Sanders would use his powers to allow all undocumented people that have been in the U.S. for at least five years to stay in the country.
According to the Sanders campaign, he would consider prosecutorial discretion to allow select undocumented immigrants to stay in the U.S. and not fear deportation. His campaign said Sanders would "essentially" implement provisions of the 2013 comprehensive immigration reform bill (S.744).
Last Friday, O'Malley released new proposals geared to fix the immigration system, including protect undocumented workers from having the right to report health or labor violations without fear of deportation and provide farm workers with the opportunity to earn lawful permanent residency. He called on states to expand in-state tuition, healthcare and driver's licenses to immigrants and urged the Obama administration to comply with federal court order to release detained immigrant women and children. . .
O’Malley has taken time to point out Hillary Clinton’s past actions, or inactions on migrant rights, specifically her opposition to granting driver’s licenses to undocumented migrants in New York when she was a senator. As reported in The Washington Post, O’Malley said, “In 2007, when new American immigrants in New York had the opportunity for New York to do as Maryland had done and pass driver’s licenses for new American immigrants. … Secretary Clinton had her campaign call up the then-governor of New York and begged him to pull the bill because it was getting in the way of her politics and her campaign.”
In a statement to Latin Post, Clinton's campaign said, "The immigration landscape of 2015 is far different from the immigration landscape of 2007, so of course the policy responses are different. In 2007, we didn't have an executive action that would focus our resources on deporting felons, not families, allowing millions of undocumented immigrants to remain in the United States. In the last eight years, states have increasingly been moving in this direction with positive results."
As previously reported, Clinton launched her presidential campaign by emphasizing her concerns over immigration reform. “We can’t wait any longer for a pathway to full and equal citizenship,” she said.'
http://www.latinpost.com/articles/93371/20151109/democratic-presidential-candidates-bernie-sanders-martin-omalley-expand-immigration-reform.htm
