WEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Eight of the 24 Democratic candidates running for the 2020 Presidential election made a South Florida stop on Friday to participate in a forum.
The men and women took the stage to discuss the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials at the Telemundo Center.
This event comes a week prior to the first democratic campaign where 20 of the candidates will meet in Miami.
Former Texas State Representative Beto O’Rouke took the stage followed by former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, former Housing Secretary Julian Castro and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
Topics discussed in the forum included health care, climate change and the 2020 census.
When asked about immigration all of the candidates had a lot to say.
“We will no longer put children in cages. We will not build walls. We’ll do all of this by executive order,” said O’Rouke.
“What I would say with the 11 million people that are here now that we should give them a 10-year visa immediately, put them on a pathway to citizenship and make sure that if it takes longer, they can have extensions,” said Hickenlooper.
“The lesson of 2009 and 2010 on immigration reform is don’t wait. Don’t wait. We’re not going to wait. We’re going to go forward with immigration reform,” said Castro.
“We are proud that we are growing today. If you removed the role that immigration has played, that growth, that modest growth that I’m so proud of in our city would be zero. It would be flatlined,” said Buttigieg.
They were followed by Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, California Representative Eric Swalwell, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar.
“We need to deal with the people who are here and that means a pathway to citizenship. We need to protect our dreamers. We need to keep families together. It’s consistent with our values. It’s good for the United States of America,” said Warren.
“I come to you this morning with great urgency, particularly for your community,” said Swalwell. “There is nothing this president will not do to hold you back. He will break up your families, he will cage your children, and he has weaponized county. There is nothing we won’t do to stop him.”
“We cannot have real immigration reform unless we have people from the immigration community at the table helping to work out that comprehensive immigration reform,” said Sanders, “so to answer your question literally on the first week that we together are in office, we are going to use all of the powers of the presidency, all of the executive orders we can to undo the fear and the damage this president has done.”
“As your president,” said Klobuchar, “I would first of all make sure that we stop this assault on immigrants. We would make sure that we rescind his policies on the temporary status people that he’s trying to push out from El Salvador, from Honduras, from Venezuela. We would change that. We would protect the dreamers.”
All 24 Democratic candidates were invited to attend the forum and speak to the Hispanic community prevalent in South Florida.
President Trump is also after the Latino vote, as he and Vice President Mike Pence announced on Friday morning a coalition for next week called, “Latinos for Trump” set to take place in Miami.
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