From Miami, Florida -
A day after a surprise upset victory in the Michigan Primary, Bernie Sanders sparred aggressively with Hillary Clinton over immigration policy at a debate in Miami, as Sanders once again portrayed himself as the true anti-establishment candidate in the Democratic race for President.
"Madam Secretary, I will match my record against yours any day," Sanders said at one point to a huge roar from the audience, at the debate sponsored by Univision and the Washington Post.
Credit: Jamie Dupree
Credit: Jamie Dupree
One main battleground in this debate was immigration policy, as Sanders again criticized the Obama Administration for moving to forcibly deport families in the United States illegally.
"The essence of what we are trying to do is to unite families, not divide families," Sanders said, as he took the opportunity to compare his record to that of Clinton.
"I said, welcome those children into this country. Secretary Clinton said, 'send them back,'" as Sanders jabbed at the Democratic Party front runner.
Credit: Jamie Dupree
Credit: Jamie Dupree
As she did in Sunday's debate in Detroit on the auto bailout, Clinton was ready with a series of attacks against Sanders, based on some of his old votes in the U.S. Congress.
"When you got to the Senate in 2007, one of the first things you did was vote against Ted Kennedy's immigration reform, which he had been working on for years, before you ever arrived," Clinton said.
"You made it clear with your vote, that you were going to stand with the Republicans," Clinton added.
Clinton repeatedly sprinkled references to Florida throughout her answers in this debate, looking to convince voters that she is familiar with this growing state.
The debate also included a couple of awkward moments for Clinton, as she was pressed by Univision moderator Jorge Ramos on her controversial email server and her response to the Benghazi attacks.
"If you get indicted, will you drop out?" Ramos asked Clinton about her email troubles.
Clinton rejected the question out of hand.
"Oh, for goodness; that is not going to happen. I'm not even going to answer that question," Clinton said to loud cheers.
About the Author
