Tonight, Bernie Sanders defended his record on immigration reform, and, unsurprisingly, he conveniently omitted his anti-immigrant votes. Sanders said “nay” to the 2007 Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act and “yay” to protections for an anti-immigrant militia, the infamous Minutemen. Sanders’ anti-immigrant policies sound more like Steve King’s than the positions of a progressive. In fact, anti-immigration extremists have found plenty to like about Sanders!
TIME: “Why Conservatives Praise Bernie Sanders on Immigration.” [TIME, 1/7/16]
Ted Cruz’s campaign co-chairman, on Bernie: “His immigration position is closer to mine than it is some of the presidential candidates on the Republican side.” “Rep. Steve King of Iowa, the adamantly pro-life co-chair of Sen. Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign who has dismissed global warming as a hoax and repeatedly supported shutting down the federal government, praised Sanders’ immigration stance several times in August. ‘I admire Bernie’s passion and I notice that his immigration position is closer to mine than it is some of the presidential candidates on the Republican side,’ King said in an interview with an Iowa radio station over this past summer. ‘He’s said ‘Let’s take care of American workers.’ I’m all for that.’” [TIME, 1/7/16]
Ted Cruz’s campaign co-chairman, on Bernie: “Part of his immigration policy is something that I agree with.” “Also this summer, King compared Sanders with Republican candidate Donald Trump, saying they’re ‘both speaking with non-politically correct language, and Bernie has taken some positions that I agree with. And part of his immigration policy is something that I agree with.’” [TIME, 1/7/16]
Head of anti-immigration group saw common ground with Sanders immigration record. “[Sanders] has drawn approval from some unlikely quarters. Roy Beck, the president of NumbersUSA, a group that seeks to dramatically reduce legal and illegal immigration to the United States, said this week that after studying Sanders’ record and rhetoric, he sees some common ground. ‘I think in his gut he believes his obligation as president would be to the workers of America, not to the workers of the world,’ Beck said in an interview.” [TIME, 1/7/16]