Democrat Sanders vows to halt immigration raids, deportations if elected
president
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[November 07, 2019]
By Simon Lewis
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic
presidential contender Bernie Sanders said on Thursday he would put a
moratorium on deportations from the United States and end raids by
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on his first day in office.
Sanders said in a statement he would overturn Republican President
Donald Trump's border policies if elected and create a "humane, lawful
process that protects families and respects human rights."
Trump has made cracking down on illegal immigration a centerpiece of his
presidency and accuses Democrats of supporting "open borders." ICE has
stepped up its activities, arresting more than 2,300 people in the 2018
fiscal year, compared with just over 300 the year before.
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"We will end the ICE raids that are terrorizing our communities," said
Sanders, "and on my first day as president, I will use my executive
power to protect our immigrant communities and reverse every single
horrific action implemented by Trump."
Other Democrats running for president have also proposed immigration
reforms like raising the number of refugees the Unites States takes in.
Some, including Sanders, have said they would repeal the law that
criminalizes crossing the border and has been used to separate migrant
children from their families.
The U.S. senator from Vermont is among the top three candidates in the
crowded field of Democrats competing to take on Trump in the November
2020 election, but trails former Vice President Joe Biden and U.S.
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts in most opinion polls.
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![](../images/110719pics/news_b3.jpg)
Democratic 2020 U.S. presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Bernie
Sanders (I-VT) speaks at a campaign rally in front of the State
House after filing his declaration of candidacy papers to appear on
the New Hampshire primary election ballot in Concord, New Hampshire,
U.S. October 31, 2019. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo
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Sanders suffered a heart attack last month but has bounced back with
endorsements from high-profile progressives and rallies of
supporters enthusiastic about his agenda of taxing corporations and
the wealthy to pay for measures like government-run healthcare.
Sanders, 78, whose father was a Jewish immigrant from Poland, has
spoken about immigration on campaign stops, but had not published a
set of detailed proposals on immigration until Thursday.
Among his plans are a raft of executive actions he would take on day
one of his presidency, like a moratorium on deportations until an
audit of deportation policies and practices has taken place.
The proposals also included longer-term reforms, like passing
legislation giving a pathway to citizenship for an estimated 11
million immigrants in the country illegally and breaking up ICE and
the Customs and Border Protection agency to "begin treating
immigration outside the context of national security."
(Reporting by Simon Lewis; Editing by Peter Cooney)
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