Dem Candidates All Support Healthcare for Undocumented People, Split on Decriminalizing Immigration
Immigration was among the top issues in the second night of the first Democratic presidential debates, with California Senator Kamala Harris saying she would reinstate Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program that provides a temporary work permit and deportation relief for undocumented youth, on her first day in office. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg spoke of the criminalization of immigration as the basis for family separation, referring to the Trump administration's "zero tolerance "policy as "dead wrong." While most candidates are running on different platforms to address the criminalization of immigration and the separation of refugee families at the border, they all agreed on one thing: providing healthcare to undocumented people living in the U.S. When asked if they agreed, all candidates raised their hand. Prior to the debate night, many of the candidates, including Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders, visited the Homestead detention facility, where hundreds of migrant children are currently incarcerated, located just a few minutes from Miami. We speak with Andrea Mercado, executive director of New Florida Majority.