Days after committing to a moratorium on deportations during his first 100 days in office, the former vice president's campaign is now saying the candidate will do no such thing, according to a new report by BuzzFeed News.
"Characterizing this as a moratorium is inaccurate,” an advisor for the Biden campaign told BuzzFeed in a statement.
Biden not only said that he would halt deportations during his first 100 days in office during a CNN town hall on Thursday, the candidate also reportedly agreed to the moratorium during a private meeting with members of the Latino Victory Fund, according to the organization's executive director Mayra Macias. Following the perceived change in policy, the Latino Victory Fund endorsed Joe Biden for president on Friday.
Vice President @JoeBiden will:
— Mayra Macías (@lachicamayra) February 22, 2020
?? Introduce legislation for immigration reform in his first week in office that provides a pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants
?? Put a moratorium on deportations for his first 100 days (2/3)
Biden said during a CNN town hall in Las Vegas on Thursday that under his presidential administration nobody would be deported during his first 100 days in office. The former vice president also ruled out deporting illegal aliens for crimes committed in other countries, which would make the United States a sanctuary for criminals all over the world.
"Nobody, and some of you are going to get mad at me with this, but nobody is going to be deported in my first 100 days until we get through the part where we find out the only rationale for deportation will be whether or not you've committed a felony while in the country," Biden said in response to a question about ICE.
If he’s elected President, Joe Biden says he won’t deport ANYONE for the 1st 100 days & during his whole presidency he would ONLY deport people who commit felonies IN the United States. If they murder or rape outside the US, Joe will let them stay. Insane! pic.twitter.com/2eEGUFwpMb
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) February 21, 2020
(Via BuzzFeed News)
“The Vice President made clear in his town hall answer, as he has said many times before, that under his Administration, enforcement efforts will be narrowly targeted to those who commit a felony offense in the United States or who present a national security threat,” the Biden adviser told BuzzFeed News on Saturday. “Trump's enforcement actions have been so egregious and indiscriminate, the VP was saying that he would pause and take the time to review the deportation proceedings of those with long-standing ties in the United States, of families with children here, to ensure we are correcting Trump's abuses.”
“The Vice President's entire answer was premised on and grounded in his commitment to ending family separations, he's been saying that for months, and his answer was entirely consistent with that,” the aide said.
The campaign's description of Biden's stance is at odds with what the Latino Victory Fund understood of his position. Another spokesperson for the group confirmed to BuzzFeed News on Friday night that their understanding was that this was a change of policy from Biden, and that he had announced that shift in position publicly for the first time at the CNN town hall.
Immigrant rights advocate Jess Morales Rocketto, who initially congratulated Latino Victory Fund and Macias for getting the campaign to shift their stance on a moratorium, said on learning that the campaign denied that there’s been a change in policy, “The vice president keeps taking courageous stances and then walking away from them.”
In January, Biden made another radical immigration policy commitment, telling a Vice News Election Forum that he would fire ICE agents who arrest illegal immigrants for anything other than a felony, adding, "and I don’t count drunk driving as a felony."
Biden's flip-flopping on an immigration moratorium comes on the day of the Nevada Caucuses, where a large number of Hispanics are expected to participate in choosing a Democratic nominee for president. This isn't looking like the typical Biden gaffe. It's looking like a Biden lie.