Earlier this week, a spokesperson for the Hillary Clinton campaign addressed the plans by the Obama administration to conduct new deportation raids on Central Americans who arrived in the United States after 2014, according to the Latin Post. In a January 6 statement to the digital outlet, campaign spokesperson Jorge Silva said that Clinton thinks the raids should not be happening:
Hillary Clinton believes the United States should give refuge to people fleeing persecution, and should be especially attentive to the needs of children. Families who arrive here should be guaranteed due process on their asylum petitions, including a full and fair opportunity to tell their stories.
She believes we should not be conducting large-scale raids and roundups that sow fear and division in our communities. And she believes we should be investing in a longer-term comprehensive solution to the challenge of violence in Central America that causes so many people to make the treacherous journey north.
Unlike the statements from Democratic candidates Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders, the Clinton campaign statement did not call for an extension of Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for individuals from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Earlier today, members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus supported the call for TPS, according to Reuters. The White House, Reuters reported, will not change its current course:
“We are of course aware of these concerns, but the enforcement strategy and priorities that the administration has articulated are not going to change,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters.
Latino USA emailed the Clinton campaign several times on January 7 to comment about what both O’Malley and Sanders said about TPS. Clinton campaign staffers acknowledged receipt of the emails, but have yet to address the TPS question and whether Clinton specifically supports the idea.