Des Moines, IA – Ahead of tonight’s Democratic Debate and less than a month before the Iowa caucuses, immigrant youth and families of United We Dream Action and a mariachi band bared freezing temperatures in Iowa to demand Vice President and presidential nominee, Joe Biden, make real commitments to our immigrant community.
As Senator and Vice President, Biden presided over the grotesque growth of the deportation machine for decades, yet his immigration plan and his campaign have failed to commit to stop the deportation force of ICE and CBP from continuing to criminalize, deport and kill immigrants.
Elsa Osorio, Member of United We Dream Action, said:
“The father of my three children was deported under the Obama/Biden administration. My children and I know first-hand what Biden’s record on immigration looks like. I shared my story today because I need Vice President Biden to understand the impact of the deportation force.
We need to hear more than rejections of Trump’s anti-immigrant policies and immigration plans that take us back to the Obama years. Families like mine need the next president of the United States to commit to dismantle the deportation force which has separated families like mine.
Adrian Reyna, Strategy Director of United We Dream Action, said:
“With this election, immigrant youth and our families are in the fight for our lives. To win against Trump’s policies, we need a candidate who is willing to fight for immigrants by stopping the mass incarceration and deportation of our communities. Biden’s current immigrant plan and campaign rhetoric show us that he does not understand how the criminalization of people of color leads to deportation. His plan would keep the deportation force as is, and we know that we can’t have a presidential candidate that supports both the deportation force and immigrants.
We will continue to push candidates to make the necessary commitments that actually protect our people from deportation and allow us to thrive.”