WASHINGTON FREE BEACON | YOUTUBE | SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 | ABC NEWS
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT BY ABC
From the 3rd Democratic primary debate for the 2020 presidential election:
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
Note: The video transcript is a much larger excerpt of the debate in order to present the clip in context.
JORGE RAMOS FROM UNIVISION: We’ve been hearing a lot about what’s been happening here in Texas. Only a few weeks ago, the deadliest massacre of Latinos, Latinos, in modern U.S. history happened in this state, in El Paso. So the fear among Latinos — and you know this — is very real.
So let me start with an issue that is causing a lot of division in this country: immigration. Vice President Biden, as a presidential candidate, in 2008, you supported the border wall, saying, “Unlike most Democrats, I voted for 700 miles of fence.” This is what you said.
Then you served as vice president in an administration that deported 3 million people, the most ever in U.S. history. Did you do anything to prevent those deportations? I mean, you’ve been asked this question before and refused to answer, so let me try once again. Are you prepared to say tonight that you and President Obama made a mistake about deportations? Why should Latinos trust you?
JOE BIDEN: What Latinos should look at is — comparing this president to the president we have is outrageous, number one. We didn’t lock people up in cages. We didn’t separate families. We didn’t do all of those things, number one.
Number two — number two, by the time — this is a president who came along with the DACA program. No one had ever done that before. This is the president that sent legislation to the desk saying he wants to find a pathway for the 11 million undocumented in the United States of America. This is a president who’s done a great deal. So I’m proud to have served with him.
What I would do as president is several more things, because things have changed. I would, in fact, make sure that there is — we immediately surge to the border. All those people who are seeking asylum, they deserve to be heard. That’s who we are. We’re a nation who says, if you want to flee, and you’re freeing oppression, you should come.
I would change the order that the president just changed, saying women who were being beaten and abused could no longer claim that as a reason for asylum.
And by the way, retrospectively, you know, the 25th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act is up. The Republican Congress has not reauthorized it. Let’s put pressure on them to pass the Violence Against Women Act. Now (inaudible) back…
RAMOS: Yeah, but you didn’t answer the question.
BIDEN: Well, I did answer the question.
RAMOS: No, did you make a mistake with those deportations?
BIDEN: The president did the best thing that was able to be done at the time.
RAMOS: How about you?
BIDEN: I’m the vice president of the United States.
RAMOS: Secretary Castro, would you want to respond to Vice President Biden?
FORMER HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY JULIAN CASTRO: I mean, look…
RAMOS: And let me put this in context, because your party controlled the White House and Congress in 2009 and didn’t pass immigration reform, and this broke a promise made by President Barack Obama to Latinos. So why should voters trust Democrats now? I mean, now it is even more difficult, as you know, because you need Republican votes in the Senate. So are you willing, for instance, to give up DACA or give up a path to citizenship or even agree to build a wall in order to legalize 10.5 million undocumented immigrants?
CASTRO: Jorge, thank you very much for that question. And, look, I agree that Barack Obama was very different from Donald Trump. Donald Trump has a dark heart when it comes to immigrants. He built his whole political career so far on scapegoating and fearmongering and otherizing migrants, and that’s very different from Barack Obama.
But my problem with Vice President Biden — and Cory pointed this out last time — is every time something good about Barack Obama comes up, he says, oh, I was there, I was there, I was there, that’s me, too, and then every time somebody questions part of the administration that we were both part of, he says, well, that was the president. I mean, he wants to take credit for Obama’s work, but not have to answer to any questions. I mean…
(APPLAUSE)
RAMOS: Vice President Biden, you have — you have 45 seconds.
CASTRO: Let me just say…
BIDEN: That’s not what I said.
CASTRO: Let me just say…
BIDEN: That’s not what I said.
CASTRO: Jorge, let me just say that I would — I was the first candidate in early April to put forward an immigration plan. You know why? Because I’m not afraid of Donald Trump on this issue. I’m not going to back pedal. I’m not going to pretend like I don’t have my own vision for immigration.
So we’re not going to give up DACA. We’re not going to give up protections for anybody. I believe that on January 20, 2021, we’re going to have a Democratic president, we’re going to throw out Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn and have a Democratic Senate, and a Democratic House, and we’re going to pass immigration reform within the first 100 days.
RAMOS: Vice President, 45 seconds.
BIDEN: I did not say I don’t — I stand with Barack Obama all eight years, good, bad and indifferent. That’s where I stand. I did not say I did not stand with him.
LINK TO THE FULL VIDEO TRANSCRIPT AND A VIDEO OF THE “MOMENTS THAT MATTERED”
Last Updated on October 24, 2024 by Real KBrett