On Monday’s broadcast of “CNN News Central,” Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) stated that violent criminals should be deported, but Republicans are “casting out a wider net to catch and deport those people that maybe jumped the turnstile or have committed a non-violent offense. That’s a little bit too much.”
Co-host John Berman asked, “What is the Democratic position? If you had to state and say, hi, I’m here, I’m Chair of the Congressional [Hispanic] Caucus. I’m a senior Democratic member of the U.S. House, I’m asking you, what’s the Democratic position on illegal immigration? What would you say?”
Espaillat answered, “I’d say we make the border safer and stronger. But there are issues that I think are so important to our nation that really are front and center with our values. And those are DREAMers, farm workers, and keeping families together.”
Berman then said, “And then what Republicans say is, we’re going after the criminals.”
Espaillat responded, “Well, we are going after the criminals right now. There [are] 170 laws in our penal code that will guarantee that if you committed a violent crime, you will be arrested, convicted, and deported. But they’re casting out a wider net to catch and deport those people that maybe jumped the turnstile or have committed a non-violent offense. That’s a little bit too much.”
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