The Hill
By Kyle Balluck
March 20, 2016
Democratic
presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Saturday slammed Republican
front-runner Donald Trump and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio (Ariz.)
during comments at the U.S.-Mexico
border.
“As
I have traveled around this country and talked to immigrant families,
and particularly Latino immigrant families, I am struck by the fear and
sadness that grips so many of them,” Sanders
said.
“I have seen the sadness of families torn apart,” the Vermont senator added.
“We don’t need a wall or barbed wire; we need to fix our broken criminal justice system.”
Sanders said he wants to articulate “a different vision” on immigration.
“I
would hope that all of us are rightly appalled by the divisive, bigoted
and xenophobic comments of people like Donald Trump,” Sanders said.
“People
can disagree in the country about anything, including immigration
reform, but bigotry and racism and xenophobia and attacks against people
in a very personal way is not what this
country is supposed to be about,” he added.
Sanders said that “Trump’s labeling of Mexicans as rapists and criminals repulses all Americans of good will.”
He
also criticized Arpaio, who’s known for “tent cities” housing inmates
and has endorsed Trump, saying the sheriff “has made a political career
of demonizing immigrants and preying on vulnerable
people and communities.“
Sanders said the sheriff’s jail’s “should not exist in this country.”
“In this country, we do not treat people in that dehumanizing way.”
Rep.
Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and other local officials accompanied Sanders
during the visit to the border, as did two young undocumented immigrants
who entered the U.S. as children.
Sanders
later drew approximately 3,300 people to a rally in Phoenix, The
Arizona Republic reported, citing estimates provided by the campaign.
Democratic
presidential candidate Hillary Clinton holds a 30-point lead over
Sanders in Arizona just days before voters cast ballots in Tuesday's
primary, according to a RealClearPolitics
average of recent surveys. Trump, meanwhile, holds a 13-point lead over
his closest rival.
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