As the saying goes, broken clocks are right twice a day—and apparently Hillary Clinton's clock is stuck on immigration. Speaking with CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour during a televised town hall event, Clinton said that she believes that the children currently detained at the border should be sent back to their home countries and reunited with their families.
'They should be sent back as soon as it can be determined who responsible adults in their families are,' Clinton said, 'because – there are concerns about whether all of them can be sent back, but I think all of them that can be should be reunited with their families.'
Moments later, Clinton articulated a bottom-line policy that disagrees sharply with President Obama's observable priorities.
'We have to send a clear message: Just because your child gets across the border, that doesn't mean the child gets to stay,' Clinton said.
Clinton also stressed the need to avoid encouraging people, including children as young as five, to make the dangerous trip across the U.S. border. She also acknowledged that while the situation in other Central American countries may not be ideal, it is not the job of the U.S. to take these children in and grant them permission to stay. Clinton criticized Mexico's inability to secure its southern border, saying that the U.S. should assist them with this endeavor.
Compare this to the Obama administration's practice of honoring DREAMers, and the contrast is quite stark.
The number of unaccompanied children who have been apprehended at the border has increased from 6,775 in 2011 to an estimated 60,000+ in 2014. That is appalling. Clinton is correct (and that is not something I ever planned on saying) in saying that the U.S. needs to enforce its own immigration laws and reduce the incentives for parents to risk their children's lives to cross the border illegally.
Clinton has been consistent in her stance on immigration. In 2004, Clinton was described in the Washington Times as being "more conservative than Bush" on immigration, and in 2008 Ann Coulter endorsed Clinton over McCain as she was more conservative on the War on Terror and immigration than the GOP's eventual nominee.
It will be interesting to see if Clinton holds on her beliefs or buckles to party pressure as the 2016 election grows near.
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