Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton has promised to refrain from ever again using the term “illegal immigrant” after she was confronted on the issue by journalist and immigration activist Jose Antonio Vargas, who is in the country illegally.
The moment occurred Tuesday as Clinton participated in a Facebook chat hosted by Telemundo, the second-largest commercial Spanish-language network in the United States.
Vargas wrote, “Madam Secretary, in speaking at a campaign stop about immigration reform, you recently referred to ‘illegal immigrants’ — an offensive term that many leaders and media have abandoned in recent years
“On behalf of the organization I founded, Define American, and the 11.7 million undocumented immigrants in this country — including myself — I am asking all the presidential candidates to recognize that #wordsmatter by committing to not using the term ‘illegal’ when referencing the undocumented population. Will you make that commitment?” he asked.
Clinton agreed that the term should be retired.
“Yes, I will. That was a poor choice of words. As I’ve said throughout this campaign, the people at the heart of this issue are children, parents, families, DREAMers. They have names, and hopes and dreams that deserve to be respected,” read a response bearing her the initial of her first name, a sign she wrote it herself.
“I’ve talked about undocumented immigrants hundreds of times and fought for years for comprehensive immigration reform. And I will continue to do so. We are a country built by immigrants and our diversity makes us stronger as a nation — it’s something to be proud of, celebrate and defend,” she added.
Clinton used the term “illegal immigrant” earlier this month at a campaign stop in New Hampshire. She was asked what she would do to address the immigration crisis on the southern border, and she responded by boasting of her voting record when she served in the United States Senate from 2001 to 2009.
“Look, I voted numerous times when I was a senator to spend money to build a barrier to try to prevent illegal immigrants from coming in. And I do think you have to control your borders,” she said.
Activists were not exactly thrilled with her response.
Immigration has become a large and particularly heated issue in the 2016 election cycle, thanks in part to outrage sparked by GOP front-runner Donald Trump.
When Trump launched his presidential campaign in June, he promised to build a wall on the southern border. He also accused Mexico of funneling its criminals into the United States.
These remarks not only sparked backlash among his business associates, setting the overall contentious tone of his campaign, but they’re also being credited with making immigration one of the most important issues of the entire 2016 presidential election.
