This National Journal article declares:
Bernie Sanders Has a Nevada Problem
And a big opportunity ...
to make some more serious in-roads into the state's 28% Hispanic population. In a way Nevada is microcosm of the diversity of the nation at large. And an important bellwether Primary contest, third in line, after Iowa and New Hampshire ...
[...]
And among Latinos, the questions are similar. At an event with the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Washington this summer, Sanders responded to a question about his platform for Latinos by saying his policies benefit all demographics. "I think our economic agenda, which says that we have got to reach out to working-class, low-income families … that will be a proposal I think many Hispanic families will respond to," he said.
At the time, Javier Palomarez, the group's president who questioned Sanders during that event, said he wanted to hear more details from Sanders on his plan for Latinos -- but that coming from Vermont, it's an issue he's had little past experience with. [...]
Well here are just a few of the commitments Bernie Sanders has made in "his plan" for Immigration Reform:
from berniesanders.com:
As president, Senator Bernie Sanders will:
1) Sign comprehensive immigration reform into law to bring over 11 million undocumented workers out of the shadows. We cannot continue to run an economy where millions are made so vulnerable because of their undocumented status.
2) Oppose tying immigration reform to the building of a border fence. Undocumented workers come to the United States to escape economic hardship and political persecution. Tying reform to unrealistic and unwise border patrol proposals renders the promise illusory for millions seeking legal status.
3) Sign the DREAM Act into law to offer the opportunity of permanent residency and eventual citizenship to young people who were brought to the United States as children. We must recognize the young men and women who comprise the DREAMers for who they are – American kids who deserve the right to legally be in the country they know as home.
4) Expand President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to include the parents of citizens, parents of legal permanent residents, and the parents of DREAMERs. We need to pursue policies that unites families and does not tear them apart.
5) Authorize and substantially increase funding for the Legal Services Corporation to provide legal representation to guest workers who have been abused by their employers. Further, employers should be required to reimburse guest workers for housing, transportation expenses and workers’ compensation.
6) Substantially increase prevailing wages that employers are required to pay temporary guest workers. If there is a true labor shortage, employers should be offering higher, not lower wages.
7) Rewrite our trade policies to end the race to the bottom and lift the living standards of workers in this country and our trading partners. Not only have free trade agreements like NAFTA and CAFTA hurt U.S. workers, they have been a disaster for small farmers in Mexico and Central America.
[...]
We cannot and we should not be talking about sweeping up millions of men, women, and children – many of whom have been here for years – and throwing them out of the country. That’s wrong and that type of discussion has got to end.
We are a nation of immigrants. I am the son of an immigrant myself. Their story, my story, our story is a story of America: hard-working families coming to the United States to create a brighter future for their children. The story of immigrants is the story of America, a story rooted in family and fueled by hope. It continues today in families all across the United States.
-- Senator Bernie Sanders
And there are these encouraging statements of Bernie's support for "legal status" and even a "clear path to citizenship" ... for those who still dare to dream the American Dream ...
from FeelTheBern.org:
What has Bernie supported in terms of border security?
• In 2005, Bernie voted against the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Act, which would have allowed the Secretary of Homeland Security to “take all appropriate actions” to maintain control over the U.S borders.
• In 2006 he voted against the Secure Fence Act, which aimed to build a fence along the Mexican border.
• Later that year, Bernie voted against the Immigration Law Enforcement Act, which would have given local police departments free reign “to investigate, identify, arrest, detail, or transfer to federal custody” any undocumented immigrants.
• In 2013, Bernie voted for a comprehensive immigration reform bill called the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. This bill, which passed in the Senate but failed in the House, would have provided a way for undocumented immigrants to gain a type of legal status that set a clear path to citizenship. [...]
Path to Citizenship
Bernie believes that the United States should reform its immigration policy to create a path to legal status, and, in some cases, citizenship. Bernie supported the DREAM Act, and comprehensive immigration reform efforts in 2013 that would have created a path to legal status. Additionally, Bernie supports waiving deportations for some groups of immigrants, such as those brought into America by their parents when they were children. [...]
link to
video
As the son of an Immigrant, somebody who came to this country at the age of 17, without a nickel in his pocket. And he was able to send his two kids to college -- needless to say I support Immigration.
Our country is unique in the world. Our country is great, because in fact we are the sons and daughters of Immigrants. And I think we should all be very proud of that.
Bernie Sanders is certainly on an entirely different page on Immigration, than the
GOP front-runner.
By a non-arrogant democratic mile.
Bernie Sanders respects the basic humanity of hard-working Immigrants. Bernie Sanders is the son of such a hard-working Immigrant.
Bernie Sanders has spent a lifetime, in those working class shoes ... And he fighting to ensure that all workers will get receive a "Living Wage" for their lifetime of labor.