Hours after Iowa Rep. Steve King endorsed Ted Cruz for president, Hillary Clinton’s campaign said the endorsement reflected anti-immigrant sentiment.
“Steve King’s endorsement of Ted Cruz reflects how extreme and anti-immigrant today’s Republican Party has become,” Clintons Latino Outreach Director Lorella Praeli wrote. “No one should be proud to stand with a Congressman who believes that legalizing undocumented immigrants will ‘destroy our Republic’ and calls DREAMers ‘deportables.'”
King, an influential Iowan representative, will likely play a large role in mobilizing voters to caucus for Cruz. While King endorsed Fred Thompson during the 2008 election, he refrained from endorsing anyone in 2012.
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Both Cruz and King have conservative views about immigration. In the House King has introduced legislation to close the “anchor baby” loophole and he does not support a path to citizenship. Similarly, Cruz does not support birthright citizenship or a pathway to citizenship for people that came to America illegally.
Clinton, on the other hand, supports comprehensive immigration reform, a pathway to citizenship and often advocates for illegal immigrants on the campaign trail.
“Very simply: Cruz’s vision is illogical, impractical and inhumane,” the Clinton campaign added. “Once again, it’s time to tell them: Ya basta. It’s time to move America forward.”
