In previous speeches, including one just last week in Iowa, Clinton has said she hopes to enlist help from Muslims – both in the United States and across the world – in defeating “radical jihadists and the hateful ideology that they represent”. It also comes on the heels of two prominent attacks – one in Paris and one in California – committed by people who were purported to be inspired by Islamic extremists. So let’s help more of our neighbors claim their rights. “It’s so powerful, so precious to be a citizen of the United States!”
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All three Democratic presidential candidates have adopted immigration platforms that are more liberal than President Barack Obama’s, in their quest to appeal to the growing bloc of Hispanic voters, for whom support of immigration reform is often a key test of legitimacy.
In this environment, Clinton has tried to position herself as a champion for Hispanics, blasting Trump (and trying to handcuff him to the other Republicans) while courting endorsements from high-profile Latino figures like Obama cabinet members Julian Castro and Tom Perez as well as celebrities like Christina Aguilera and Ricky Martin.
“We request a full investigation into these communications and a determination of whether any laws were broken”, FACT said in the complaint. There she promised to expand on president Obama’s executive actions and push for a path to citizenship for the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the US.
At about the same time Clinton was speaking, a rally put together for Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders drew about 15-20 people.
The Democratic presidential frontrunner, who has talked about comprehensive immigration reform since the start of her campaign, announced her support for easing naturalization by expanding fee waivers for potential citizens. “I was impressed that she was on point and knew the message she wanted to convey”, Baker said.
After her event with DREAMers in May, Gutierrez noted that Clinton used to be “paralyzed” on immigration, specifically mentioning Clinton’s infamous opposition to driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants (a policy she now favors) during the 2008 campaign. Some held a banner asking if she stands with the detained immigrants who launched a hunger strike on Thanksgiving.
The banner evoked a response from Clinton, who said the hunger strike should prompt Americans to look critically at immigrant detention and close private detention centers run as for-profit enterprises. She has since said it was a “poor choice of words” and pledged not to use the term. The campaign has also rolled out a robust set of executive actions Sanders would take on immigration as president.
The other Democratic candidates, Sanders and O’Malley, were slated to address the conference on Tuesday.
Gutiérrez made his support for Clinton official in an op-ed published by Univision earlier on Monday.
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“Today all eyes will be on Secretary Clinton”, said Gabriela Domenzain, a spokeswoman for the O’Malley campaign. They were quickly escorted out of the ballroom and Clinton simply pushed on with her remarks. She still has room to improve upon what Obama’s done.
