Sunday, July 3, 2016
Dem immigration platform courts Hispanics
Rafael Bernal on The Hill reports that the Democratic Party delivered a huge win to immigration activists in its party platform draft released last week, taking a liberal stance in sharp contrast to Republican proposals. The party called immigration "a defining aspect of the American character and history."
The draft platform calls for a path to citizenship "for law-abiding families who are here," the defense of President Obama's executive actions on immigration, the end of immigration raids against children and families, due process for "those fleeing violence in Central America," and to rescind statutory bans on immigrants who modify their status in the country.
The platform calls religious tests for entry un-American and explicitly mentions Trump and his rhetoric. "Finally, Democrats will not stand for the divisive and derogatory language of Donald Trump. His offensive comments about immigrants and other communities have no place in our society. This kind of rhetoric must be rejected,” the platform reads.
The draft platform contrasts sharply with the 2012 version, which also touted the need for comprehensive immigration reform, but stated that undocumented immigrants should "get right with the law, learn English, and pay taxes in order to get on a path to earn citizenship." The Democrats seek to energize the Latino electorate, after the Obama administration's promises of comprehensive immigration reform and perceived heavy-handed enforcement policies.
KJ
https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2016/07/dem-immigration-platform-courts-hispanics.html
