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Democratic Presidential Candidates Condemn ICE Raids During Last Night’s “Iowa Brown & Black Forum”

by Gabe Ortiz on

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All three Democratic candidates for President condemned the ongoing ICE raids that continue to terrorize immigrant communities during last night’s “Iowa Brown & Black Forum” at Drake University in Des Moines.

While the forum addressed numerous issues important to minority voters — particularly the “Black Lives Matter” movement — immigration took center stage, particularly the ICE raids targeting Central American refugees:

When the the topic of deportation came up, none of the candidates shied away from addressing the White House’s recent wave of immigration raids. Earlier this month, ICE (U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) rounded up more than 100 undocumented adults and children from Central America and Mexico, a move for which the Obama administration has faced harsh criticism from the Latino community.

In response to moderator Jorge Ramos’ question as to whether O’Malley would deport children, O’Malley answered, “we do not send children and women and families back to the hands of death gangs.”

Sanders — who had previously denounced the raids by sending a letter to White House officials calling for an end to the roundups — said, “We’ve got to protect those people.”

When Ramos asked Clinton if she would be the “next deporter-in-chief” as Obama has been labeled by critics, she joined Sanders and O’Malley in denouncing the current administration’s actions.

“I do not think the raids are an appropriate tool to enforce the immigration laws,” Clinton said. “In fact, I think they are divisive. They are sowing discord and fear.”