Hillary Clinton on Friday released a campaign memo touting her “strong support” for the Latino community and criticizing GOP front-runner Donald Trump’s “hateful rhetoric” towards immigrants, just days after she told voters she supported spending money on a barrier to block illegal immigrants from entering the United States.
“In the face of a Republican Party that threatens to tear apart immigrant families who live in fear of deportation due to Congress’ inaction, Clinton has promised that she will do everything possible under the law to expand and enhance protections for families and communities hurt by our broken immigration system,” she wrote in a noted titled “Winning the Latino Vote” states, as first reported by NBC.
In the memo, she also pledged to “do everything possible under the law to expand and enhance protections for families and communities hurt by our broken immigration system.”
In a Monday night New Hampshire town hall, she told voters that she voted “numerous times” as a senator to “spend money to build a barrier to try to prevent illegal immigrants from coming in.” Clinton also told the voters that she does “think [we] have to control our borders.”
Clinton’s comments deviated from her normal pro-immigrant campaign stance that is also echoed by her primary competitors Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley.
Hispanic Heritage Foundation President Antonio Tijierino rushed to publicly criticize Clinton, and said he could no longer support Clinton and encouraged Hispanics “not to let anyone get away with this kind of language, on either side of the aisle.”
O’Malley also jumped to criticize Clinton, and said she had little consistency on the issue. The former Maryland governor has the most pro-immigrant stance in the Democratic Party, and he also has a history of passing pro-immigrant legislation in Maryland.
“Before one audience, she will talk about immigration reform and the need for it,” O’Malley said. “Before another audience, she’ll use the term ‘illegal immigrants’ and boast about having voted to build a wall and barbed-wire fence.”
Despite her comments Monday night, Clinton continues to poll strongly among Latino voters, as 53 percent of Latinos have a positive view of her, according to a recent NBC/WSJ poll. Clinton has picked up numerous Latino celebrity endorsements in recent months, including support from America, Ferrera, Selma Hayek and Rosie Perez. The campaign also officially launched “Latinos for Hillary in October,” which kicked off with an endorsement from Julian Castro.
On the debate stage Saturday night, Clinton will likely face attacks about her immigration stance from both O’Malley and Sanders, both of whom have released further reaching plans than the frontrunner. But her campaign says the plan is to “ramp up efforts to blanket the country with voices” from Latino Clinton supporters.
