BECAUSE MEDICARE WORKS. >> RICK, YOU HAD A QUESTION FOR
THE SENATOR?
THE SENATOR? >> I STARTED MY CAREER IN
CHICAGO AS A BILINGUAL, ESL
TEACHER, SPANISH IS MY SECOND
LANGUAGE.
LANGUAGE. I’M AWARE OF THE ROLE TEACHERS
PLAY AS LEADERS AND I WAS AND EL
PASO TEXAS, AND THE CRISIS ON
THE BORDER HAS BEEN MANUFACTURED
BY THIS ADMINISTRATION.
AND I WAS THERE THROUGH AN
ORGANIZATION CALLED TEACHERS
AGAINST CHILD DETENTION AND MY
COLLEAGUE AMY HEWITT, ONE OF HER
STUDENTS WROTE THIS POEM, I WANT
TO READ IT TO YOU.
SHE’S FROM EL SALVADOR.
THERE WAS NOWHERE ELSE TO GO BUT
HERE, NO SCHOOL, TOO DANGER, NO
FRIENDS, TOO DANGER, NO LIFE,
TOO DANGER, THE PAINTED ONES TOO
MUCH DANGERER, THEY RAPE, RAPE,
THEY RAPE, THEY KILL.
GIRLS HAVE NO CHANCE.
THERE WAS NOWHERE ELSE TO GO BUT
HERE.
HERE. SO THE REF GUSUGEES THAT COME TO
BORDER COME BECAUSE OF THE DIRE
SITUATION.
SITUATION. I’M WONDERING WHAT YOU WOULD DO
AS PRESIDENT TO ADDRESS THESE
ISSUES RELATED TO IMMIGRATION,
AND HOW CAN WE UPHOLD OUR
IMMIGRATION POLICIES SO WE
ENSHINE ASYLUM SEEK SKPERSERS AN
GREATER LEVEL, HOW CAN WE
ADDRESS EQUITY ISSUES AT THE
FEDERAL LEVEL FOR EDUCATION
POLICIES SO WE MAKE SURE WE ARE
SUPPORTING EQUITABLE FUNDING
INITIATIVES ACROSS OUR COUNTRY.
>> SO IMMIGRATION FIRST TO ME,
EDUCATION SECOND, I BELIEVE THAT
IMMIGRATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN A
STRENGTH OF THIS COUNTRY.
OUR COUNTRY WAS LARGELY FOUNDED
BY IMMIGRANTS AND LARGELY BUILT
BY IMMIGRANTS.
BY IMMIGRANTS. OUR DIVERSITY HAS ALWAYS BEEN
OUR STRENGTH.
OUR STRENGTH. IT’S WHAT CREATES
ENTREPRENEURISM AND INNOVATION
ACROSS AMERICA FOR OUR ENTIRE
HISTORY AND IN OUR BEST MOMENTS,
WE HAVE NOT BEEN AFRAID OF
IMMIGRANTS.
IMMIGRANTS. IN OUR WORST MOMENTS WE HAVE.
WE HAVE A STATUE OF LIBERTY WITH
THE BEACON OF HOPE, SEND US YOUR
TIRED AND HUNGRY, YOUR HUDDLED
MASSES.
MASSES. SHE STANDS FOR SOMETHING.
THIS COUNTRY, IN ITS BEST
MOMENTS WELCOMED IMMIGRANTS AND
THIS IS NOT WHAT WE ARE SEEING
FROM THE PRESIDENT TODAY.
WHAT HE HAS DONE ON THE BORDER
IS INHUMANE AND INTOLERABLE,
SEPARATING CHILDREN FROM
PARENTS, MOTHERS FROM BABIES,
AND LOCKING UP PEOPLE IN
FACILITIES THAT ARE RUN BY FOR
PROFIT PRISON COMPANIES.
IT’S AN OUTRAGE.
I WOULD GET RID OF ALL OF THAT.
THAT SHOULD NOT BE UNDER I.C.E.
IT SHOULD NOT BE UNDER HOMELAND
SECURITY.
SECURITY. IMMIGRATION IS NOT A SECURITY
ISSUE.
ISSUE. IT IS AN ECONOMIC AND A
HUMANITARIAN, AND A FAMILY
ISSUE.
ISSUE. [ APPLAUSE ]
>> THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN
ILLEGAL HUMAN.
ILLEGAL HUMAN. I BELIEVE WE HAVE TO
FUNDAMENTALLY TRANSFORM HOW WE
TREAT PEOPLE SEEKING ASYLUM AND
REFUGE AND IN MY STATE, AND I
KNOW IN YOUR STATE, YOU HAVE
IMMIGRANT POPULATIONS ACROSS THE
STATE.
STATE. REFUGEE POPULATIONS THAT MAKE
YOUR ECONOMY STRONGER, THAT MAKE
YOUR CITY AND STATES STRONGER,
THAT MAKE THIS COUNTRY STRONGER.
WE SHOULD NOT BE AFRAID OF
REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS AND
MOTHERS AND BABIES SEEKING OUR
HELP.
HELP. >> I WANT TO SEE IF DAVID HAS A
FOLLOW UP QUESTION ABOUT
IMMIGRATION.
IMMIGRATION. >> GO AHEAD.
>> SENATOR, THANK YOU.
YEAH, I’M FROM ONE OF THOSE
IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES YOU TALK
ABOUT, SOUTHWEST DETROIT, BORN
AND RAISED IN DETROIT, MY
GRANDFATHER CAME TO SOUTHWEST
DETROIT IN THE 50s.
JUST TO MAKE A BETTER LIFE FOR
HIMSELF, AND HIS FAMILY AND ME
HIS GRANDSON, WHICH IS WORKING
OUT, SO REALLY APPRECIATE HIM
FOR THAT.
FOR THAT. THERE’S STILL FAMILIES THAT ARE
MAKING LIFE FOR THEMSELVES,
CREATING THAT BEAUTIFUL CULTURE,
A DIVERSE CULTURE THAT YOU’RE
TALKING ABOUT BUT THERE’S ALSO,
MICHIGAN BEING OFF THE BORDER,
BORDER PATROL AND I.C.E., THAT
IS DEVASTATING FAMILIES, A LOT
OF EARLIER IMMIGRANTS, DECADES
AND CENTURIES AGO DIDN’T HAVE TO
GO THROUGH A HUGE MILITARIZED
POLICE FORCE TO BEGIN START
THEIR LIVES HERE.
I KNOW GRANDMOTHERS THAT HAVE
BEEN DETAINED IN DETENTION, LOW
HANGING FRUIT WHO CHECK IN WITH
I.C.E. ALL THE TIME.
I KNOW GRANDMOTHERS THAT HAVE
TETHERS ON THEIR ANKLES
UNFORTUNATELY.
UNFORTUNATELY. MY QUESTION TO YOU, FOR ONE, AS
IMMIGRANT RIGHTS ORGANIZER, I
FOUND A GREAT POLGS THATICY THAT
TRIED TO GET SENATORS TO
SUPPORT, THE DATA ACT, WHICH YOU
SPONSORED AND WHAT THAT DOES IS
PUT OVERSIGHT ON I.C.E. AND
BORDER PATROL, AND COLLECTS DATA
OF WHO THEY ARE DOING TRAFFIC
STOPS FOR, AND THAT’S HOW WE CAN
SEE IF IT’S RACIAL BIAS, AND
EVERYTHING LIKE THAT.
>> CORRECT.
>> CORRECT. >> AND I’M WONDERING HOW YOU
WOULD GET DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS
TOGETHER RIGHT NOW, IT SEEMS
LIKE WE’RE SO FAR TO THE RIGHT,
A LOT OF CONSERVATIVE PEOPLE
HAVE TAKEN THIS COUNTRY STEPS
BACKWARDS, AND I’M WONDERING HOW
YOU CAN BRING US BACK TO DO
THINGS THAT JUST MAKE SENSE TO
HOLD UP OUR FREEDOMS AND VALUES
THAT WE HOLD SO DEAR?
>> I THINK YOU HAVE TO TALK
ABOUT THE COMMON GROUND.
BECAUSE THE TRUTH IS EVERYONE
KNOWS THAT DIVERSITY IS A
STRENGTH, NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO
IN THIS COUNTRY BECAUSE YOU HAVE
SEEN IT.
SEEN IT. REMIND US ABOUT IMMIGRATION, AND
THE STORIES SHOW THE STRONGEST
AND BEST MOMENTS ARE WHEN WE
WELCOMED IMMIGRANTS AND OUR
LOWEST AND DARKEST MOMENTS ARE
WHEN WE DID NOT, AND REMIND
PEOPLE HOW IMPORTANT IMMIGRATION
IS BUT THE BILL THAT YOU
MENTIONED IS SOMETHING THAT I
AUTHORED BECAUSE WE HAVE A
CANADIAN BORDER, TOO, AND
EVERYONE HERE IN MICHIGAN KNOWS
WE DO ENORMOUSLY GREAT THINGS
WITH CANADA.
WITH CANADA. WE HAVE ECONOMICS, WE HAVE
BUSINESSES, CROSS BORDER
TRANSACTIONS, KIDS GOING ON
FIELD TRIPS, THIS IS WHY OUR
BORDER MATTERS AND THE WAY
PEOPLE ARE TREATED AT THE BORDER
REALLY MATTERS.
REALLY MATTERS. THAT’S WHY I AUTHORED THE
LEGISLATION TO SAY WE NEED
TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY,
HOW MANY TIMES THEY’RE STOPPING
SOMEONE, ARE THEY STOPPING THEM
BECAUSE THEY DON’T LIKE THE
COLOR OF THEIR SKIN OR ARE THEY
STOPPING THEM BECAUSE THEY HAVE
A CONCERN.
A CONCERN. THAT’S THE DATA WE DON’T HAVE,
AND WE HAVE TO GET RID OF
INSTITUTIONAL RACISM.
INSTITUTIONAL RACISM. AND WE HAVE INSTITUTIONAL RACISM
IN SO MANY PARTS OF OUR
COMMUNITIES.
COMMUNITIES. WE SEE IT THE IN LCRIMINAL
JUSTICE SYSTEM AND IN EVERY DAY
ISSUES LIKE HEALTH CARE,
EDUCATION AND JOBS, AND THIS IS