Washington, D.C. — Angela Kelley, Executive Director of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, released the following statement after tonight’s Republican debate highlighted how new rhetoric from GOP candidates cannot overshadow the harmful reality of the impacts of their policies.
Driven by their leader Donald Trump, the GOP candidates in tonight’s debate continued to trumpet their tough-on-immigration persona to appeal to their conservative base, even though the facts fail to support their claims. The border has never been more secure than it is today, and unauthorized border crossings have been dropping for the past several years. Executive action on immigration—opposed by every Republican candidate—would add jobs and grow our economy, while bringing millions of undocumented immigrants forward.
But, instead of supporting either executive action or comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship, the GOP candidates are playing to the fear stirred up in the conservative wing of their party. They are hoping to win an election by attacking the fastest growing part of the electorate—Latino, Asian, and new demographics of American voters. We need action to address a broken immigration system, not the hateful rhetoric driving the Republican debate.
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, contact Benton Strong at [email protected] or 202.481.8142.
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