RAPID CITY, S.D. - U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday issued the following statement after Reuters reported that U.S. immigration officials plan a new round of deportation raids:
"I oppose the painful and inhumane business of locking up and deporting families who have fled horrendous violence in Central America and other countries. Sending these people back into harm's way is wrong.
"I recently met a young Salvadoran woman who came to the United States on her own at the age of 15 to flee gangs trying to recruit her. I've also spoken with many children who have told me with tears streaming down their faces that they live in daily fear that their parents will be taken away.
"I urge President Obama to use his executive authority to protect families by extending Temporary Protective Status for those who fled from Central America."
To read Sen. Sanders' immigration plan, click here.
Bernie Sanders, Statement by Senator Bernie Sanders on Deportations Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/317641