La Raza President: Jeb Bush ‘More Thoughtful’ than Other Candidates in GOP Debate

‘It looks like Rubio has backed off of that position and is focusing around the rhetoric of border security’

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:

MITCHELL: “Here's what Trump had to say, first of all.”

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TRUMP: “I was at the border last week. Border patrol, people that I deal with, that I talk to, they say this is what's happening, because our leaders are stupid, our politicians are stupid, and the Mexican government is much smarter, much sharper, much more cunning, and they send the bad ones over because they don't want to pay for them. They don't want to take care of them. Why should they when the stupid leaders of this United States will do it for them?”

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MITCHELL: “So, you know, how do you deal with that, first of all?

MURGUIA: “Yes, it's a great question.”

MITCHELL: “You know, how are people in the community going to react to that?

MURGUIA: “Well, it's more bluster. It's name calming. It's a rant that what you hear from Donald Trump. There's nothing serious or specific in terms of how he really would address immigration reform. And for us, you know, we want to see not just from Donald Trump but from the Republican party a solution to this broken immigration system that we all acknowledge. But Donald Trump isn't bringing solutions. He's really mostly doing the same name calling and bluster that we've seen no specifics. But frankly, none of the candidates on the platform last night are offering a comprehensive approach to solving this immigration solution that would have a path to citizenship. I did appreciate governor bush's thoughtful response, but I think for us in the Latino community, the vast majority of voters out there in the Hispanic community want to see a comprehensive solution that includes a pathway to citizenship. We want to hear more specifics in terms of this approach.”

MITCHELL: “Excuse me. I was just going to ask you about Marco Rubio because when you talk about a path to citizenship they label that amnesty and this is what Marco Rubio said who has really backed off from a comprehensive approach that he was about to support, I guess about two years ago now.”

MURGUIA: “The evidence is now clear that the majority of people coming across the border are not from Mexico. They're coming from Gaut maul la, El Salvador, Honduras. They are the majority coming in. I also believe we need a fence. The problem is el Chappo builds a tunnel under the fence we have to deal with that, too.”

MITCHELL: “You didn't hear anything from Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio or any of the other candidates that solved the basic problem that you're looking for?”

MURGUIA: “Well, I think that it's fair to say that governor bush has been the most thoughtful but he still has not embraced a pathway to citizenship. Marco Rubio raises the issue of border security and talks about that. Well, the fact of the matter is that we've invested $18 billion in border security over the last few years. More than all federal enforcement agencies combined. Border security can be an element of solving our broken immigration system but it can't be the only element that we're talking about. We have to really deal with the legalization and modernizing our legal immigration system and also dealing with those undocumented 11 million who need to have a solution if we're going to benefit as a country economically. Again, governor bush, more thoughtful. Marco Rubio has changed his position before he previously supported the comprehensive approach that was passed by the Senate that would have addressed a lot of these issues that we're all talking about today as it relates to immigration reform. The house failed to take that bill up. But now it looks like Rubio has backed off of that position and is focusing around the rhetoric of border security. It's not going to solve our issue. We need really a comprehensive approach and Donald Trump is just sort of fanning the flames of divisiveness not only around this issue but around the approach to, I think, Latino voters. And for us, that is not anything that is going to solve the Republican party's problem with Latino voters. They have a problem. They need to solve it. It can start with immigration reform but they really need to be showing how they're talking about the issues that our community cares about. One of them, which is immigration reform, but we didn't see anything last night that really addressed the solution that we know needs to be made here on this issue.”

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