7 OCTOBER 2020

VP DEBATE: Pence Record of Xenophobia Contrasts With Harris’s History of Fighting for Marginalized and Working Communities

WASHINGTON, DC — The Immigration Hub today denounced Vice President Mike Pence and the Trump administration’s record on immigration while applauding the vision of Senator Kamala Harris and former Vice President Joe Biden. This comes ahead of tonight’s Vice Presidential debate where America will get their only chance to see the two candidates on the same stage together. Immigration Hub Deputy Director Sergio Gonzales — a former Senior Policy Advisor to Sen. Kamala Harris and LGBTQ Co-Chair of her presidential campaign — issued the following statement contrasting the records of each ticket:

“The American people are going to see tonight the clear contrast between two Vice Presidential candidates and the visions for America they represent. One candidate has spent her career fighting for those who are left behind and left out. The other has consistently dismissed the needs of marginalized communities and exacerbated systemic inequities.

“Senator Harris has been a beacon for the underrepresented. If elected, she will become our nation’s first woman, first Black, and first South Asian-American Vice President. Millions across the country will, for the first time, see themselves reflected on the debate stage. 

“She was one of the first in Congress to challenge the Trump administration on family separation and has led efforts to protect Dreamers. She has also worked tirelessly to uplift the communities hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis, including Black Americans, Latinos, and immigrant communities. Harris and Biden will reinstate DACA, provide a path to citizenship for hardworking immigrants, and set us on a desperately needed new path for COVID recovery.

“Mike Pence and Donald Trump have sought to divide the country through xenophobia and outright racism. They have continually used immigration as a way to distract from a myriad of failures, including their disastrous response to the ongoing pandemic. From family separation and ending DACA to gutting the asylum system and funding a failed border wall, Pence and Trump have staked their candidacy on excluding immigrants rather than competent governing. Four more years of Pence and Trump means four more years of chaos, suffering, and division.” 

Background on Harris, Pence Records

Pence has feebly attempted to paint Biden and Harris as socialist extremists — statements that are wildly untrue — when in fact it’s his immigration record that is misaligned with the American public. He voted against the Dream Act in 2010 when he was in Congress, which would have created legally binding protections for young immigrants. The Trump/Pence administration rescinded DACA, threatening the protections put in place by the Obama administration. And, as highlighted again in stark terms by New York Times reporting this week, his administration ordered the separation of immigrant families at the border, a cruel decision that caused irreversible trauma and damaged the country’s global reputation. None of these actions are popular with the public and in fact, are out of step with America’s conscience.  

# # #

The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.