Tuesday on MSNBC while discussing reports that the Department of Homeland Security is planning raids to deport families who surged across border from Central America, former Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) accused Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump of “spooking the country” with his immigration policy.
Richardson said, “The good news is that it hasn’t happened yet. It may be a trial balloon by the bureaucracy. But I think it’s a very bad idea. It is not humane. It’s not America. These are defenseless children. I mean, here we are, America, we are not taking Syrian refugees. We don’t have an immigration bill that allows for a path to citizenship. And now we seem to be reacting to reports of terrorism. Well, this is not terrorism. These are individuals that are fleeing droughts, fleeing political persecution and Honduras, El Salvador. They’re human beings. This is Christmas, Christmas week, this is holidays. This is not America. Just don’t do these raids. That would be my position.”
He continued, “Trump has spooked everybody. He has spooked the country. You know, when he talks about deporting millions of people, when it’s impractical, when it’s inhumane, yeah, I mean, I think he’s changed the political tempo on immigration so that there is absolutely no chance that immigration reform will happen next year. He stoked up a lot of anger, a lot of inhumane feelings about refugees and immigrants and I think the victims are these children. These women. they’re fleeing political persecution in Central America.”
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