Why wasn’t immigration a bigger issue in the debate?

Tom Jawetz considers why immigration has largely vanished from the debate stage during the Democratic primary—and why its absence does a disservice to voters.

The closer we get to Election Day, the more Donald Trump will work to turn the nation’s focus to the issue that was the beating heart of his 2016 campaign and has animated his time in office: immigration. The narrative Trump will push–at rallies and in targeted social media ads backed by millions of dollars–is that he has protected the American public from “dangerous” immigrants and secured the border, and that only he can keep us safe. Given how central immigration is sure to be in the coming months, why has it received only passing mention in a handful of the nine Democratic primary debates to date, even after last night’s contentious proceeding in Nevada, the first primary state with a sizable population of people of color.

The above excerpt was originally published in Nevada Current. Click here to view the full article.

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