Associated Press
March 19, 2016
Standing
in front of the tall, steel fence that divides the United States and
Mexico, presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders on Saturday vowed to keep
immigrant families together during a visit
to Arizona, which holds its primary next week.
Sanders
was accompanied by Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada and U.S. Rep.
Raul Grijalva. He started the day walking along a small street next to
the Nogales-Morley Gate Port of Entry,
where he spoke with two young immigrants about their struggles to
obtain legal status in the United States.
A
small group of people who identified themselves as deported U.S.
military veterans stood on the Mexican side of the border fence cheering
for Sanders. A lone man protested Sanders and followed
his group around to several locations.
Standing
in front of the fence that divides the two countries, Sanders accused
Republican front-runner Donald Trump, who was also campaigning in
Arizona Saturday, of using harmful rhetoric.
"I
would hope that all of us are rightly appalled by the divisive, bigoted
and xenophobic comments of people like Donald Trump," Sanders said.
Sanders
vowed to expand two programs spearheaded by President Barack Obama
which aim to protect immigrants from deportation. One, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, benefits youths who
were brought to the country illegally as children. The other, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans, would benefit parents whose children
are U.S. citizens. The latter has not taken effect and is being argued
in court.
Sanders said he would fight to keep families together.
"I am shocked by the fear and shocked by the sadness that grips so many of them," Sanders said.
The
Vermont senator has focused his campaign almost exclusively on Arizona
in the past week as he looks to rebound from his resounding defeat last
week to Clinton. He drew a crowd of about
7,000 people in Tucson and followed that up with a visit to the Navajo
Nation in what marks a rare visit by a White House candidate to the
nation's largest Indian reservation. His pursuit of the Native American
vote included a visit by his wife to a sacred
Apache site near the site of a proposed copper mine that Sanders and
tribes strenuously oppose.
Late
Saturday he held his fourth Arizona rally in the past five days, this
time just outside of downtown Phoenix. Sanders is hoping for a win in
Tuesday's Arizona primary to propel him through
the next month when several states more favorable for him are due to
vote. "Please, on Tuesday, make sure that you, your friends, your family
come out to vote," he told the crowd. "Let us see Arizona help lead a
political revolution."
He
has also sought the Latino vote in Arizona, aggressively challenging
Arizona's contentious Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who has endorsed Trump, in a
speech for his harsh immigration tactics.
"It's
easy for bullies like Sheriff Arpaio to pick on people who have no
power," Sanders said. "If I am elected president — the president of the
United States does have power. So watch out,
Joe."
Clinton
is making her own last-minute push to win Arizona. Former President
Bill Clinton is campaigning for his wife in the state on Sunday, and the
former first lady and secretary of state
has a rally Monday. She is running ads showing former Rep. Gabby
Giffords voice her support for the candidate. She also has the support
of most of the Democratic political establishment.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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