Clinton voices support for deported Iowa immigrant
Source: The Des Moines Register
Tony Leys and Jennifer Jacobs, jejacobs@dmreg.com 7:02 a.m. CDT July 8, 2015
IOWA CITY – Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Tuesday took up the cause of an Iowa City immigrant who was deported over a 16-year-old misdemeanor conviction.
During a campaign stop here, Clinton referred to the controversial case of Max Villatoro, a Mennonite pastor-in-training who was arrested at his home on March 3 and wound up being deported to his native Honduras. The case has gained widespread attention from immigration-reform advocates, who say Villatoro, 41, was an upstanding member of the community unjustly ripped away from his family.
Clinton agreed with a Villatoro supporter, who said federal authorities should have used their discretion not to deport him. She noted that the deportation was based on a misdemeanor charge from the 1990s. "He was from all accounts, everything I've read and heard, a contributing member of the community. And for the life of me, I don't understand why he was deported," she said. "And I would think we would have to take a hard look at cases like that and exercise more discretion."
She credited the Obama administration with making progress on the issue, but said she would push for more movement toward reforming the country's broken immigration system. "I still think we should deport dangerous people, dangerous criminals — they should be gone," she said. "But for people who have maybe one small blemish on their record, and they've proven over the years since that they are contributing citizens, I think we should show them understanding and permit them and their families to stay together."
Federal authorities have defended Villatoro's deportation, saying it was a legitimate part of a sweep of unauthorized immigrants who'd committed crimes. His lawyer has said the charge stemmed from an attempt to gain a driver's license.......
Read more: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/presidential/caucus/2015/07/07/hillary-clinton-iowa-immigrant-max-villatoro/29830169/
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