"This Country Was Formed By Immigrants": Delores Huerta Takes Down Joe Biden On Immigration

[Hassin Bin Sober]

Wow. Harsh words by a civil rights icon.

[theaocp]

1. Should be a simple evolution.

Her words carry a ton of weight IRL and here at DU.

[Demsrule86]

5. No they don't...maybe if they started going after the GOP instead of attacking Democratic leaders..

like Pelosi, Biden and Obama...their words might matter...maybe if so many of them didn't vote for Trump it might matter...but it doesn't.

[highplainsdem]

8. Her words don't carry weight when she's attacking the Democratic front-runner. She should be

targeting Trump.

[Act_of_Reparation]

17. Are you saying the co-founder of the National Farmworker's association...

...organizer of the Delano Grape Strike, and winner of Eugene V. Debs Foundation Outstanding American Award, the United States Presidential Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, is only worth listening to if she's criticizing Republicans?

[highplainsdem]

23. Biden's won awards as well, and I see no reason why her words should carry any more weight than his.

If Huerta wants to help the Democratic Party, and she believes her words will influence voters, it would have been best for her to wait until after the nomination, and then endorse the nominee.

If she has to make an endorsement now, and it isn't the front-runner, then she should consider how much she'll like having her words used in GOP ads in Hispanic communities in the general election.

[Lordquinton]

38. Are you really saying people need to shut up about candidates until we choose one?

She is trying to influence voters, it's the primary and she doesn't want to endorse someone she doesn't believe supports her views. That's the whole point of the primary, to suggest otherwise is undemocratic.

[highplainsdem]

39. See my reply 8. The problem is that she's accompanying the endorsement with an attack on Biden.

She could endorse Harris very strongly without doing that. The GOP wouldn't be able to use her words against Biden then, if he's the nominee.

She is of course free to say whatever she wants, about whomever she wants to praise or disparage.

But if she seriously wants a Democrat to beat Trump, it would have been best for her to wait until a nominee is chosen.

What is she going to say if Biden is the nominee? Is she going to advise people to stay home, to not vote for him because he's no different from a Republican?

Even if she tries to endorse Biden later, if he's the nominee, Republicans will still have her earlier words about him to use against him. It won't be in ads identified as Republican -- they'll use them in ads run by PACs with innocuous sounding names. Pro Hispanic, pro immigration sounding names. But the ads will still be designed to keep Hispanics from voting for Biden if he's the Democratic nominee.

The ONLY way her attacking Biden at this point could help is if her influence could somehow catapult Harris from polling at around 10% to having more support than Biden.

Maybe Huerta believes she has that much influence on support for candidates. I doubt it.

Btw, the reasons Obama and other former presidents stay out of primaries and endorse only after a nominee is chosen are the reasons I outlined above. It would be a waste of their influence to endorse earlier, and if they mistakenly criticized a candidate who got the nomination, their words would be used against that candidate.

[Skya Rhen]

44. You always make so much sense - thank you!

[lark]

54. So true and so well said.

Thank you!!!

[quickesst]

56. the biggest problem...

.... with the anti-Biden crowd is the abandonment of a sense of logic and common sense. They have no use for the logic in your statement, and only shows that their main objective is to take down Joe Biden. It's to hell with the long-term consequences of such advantageous rhetoric for the GOP as long as this will help them win the short-term battle which of course, it won't. After the busing/ segregationist fiasco, the polls remained steady. After the attacks on Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi, which for some reason they believed would be a winner, the polls remain steady. When this episode is hashed and rehashed a few times, the polls will remain.... steady. Several of the candidates have established their strategy. The path to the nomination is to attack the front runner at every opportunity. It's a bad strategy.

[Demsrule86]

24. Sad...really so accomplished but now going after the front runner for Harris...she

came out for her today I think. No matter what Obama did the most he could and maybe if she worked on supporting Democrats and working for Democrats who can win a general, we can change this scenario.

[Act_of_Reparation]

49. Did I miss a meeting?

Is everyone morally obligated to support the front runner by virtue of their being the front runner? Why are we even having a primary, then?

[Demsrule86]

61. There is a difference with bashing the front runner and supporter another candidate...I find

this foolish and it lessons her accomplishments to play politics in this fashion...It is the GOP's fault that nothing has been done for immigration reform. And Obama and Biden have done the only good thing on immigration...dreamers EO...so I find her attacks on the democratic front-runner,Biden, and likely nominee self-serving and wrong.

[Act_of_Reparation]

62. What exactly does this look like?

I want Candidate X to win the primary. To accomplish this, I must ipso facto demonstrate why Candidate X is qualitatively better than Candidate Y. How am I supposed to do that without describing Candidate Y in the negative?

[Demsrule86]

66. You don't make it so you will be unable to support the frontrunner should he/she win. It is self

defeating as the only shot she or any immigrant champion has is to elect Democrats...and there will be no open borders...no candidate can or will do this.

[lark]

53. When Repugs are fomenting hate crimes against immigrants & Dems are trying to solve the issue - YES!

n/t

[tonedevil]

2. I'm wondering how this will be received? /nt

[Hassin Bin Sober]

3. Crickets

[tonedevil]

7. At least one of the usual suspects weighed in...

with nearly a full gram of seriousness.

[Demsrule86]

4. Dear Delores...why not take down Trump? Tired of this...attack Democrats give the GOP

a pass. Obama and Biden got the only thing on immigration done in decades...the Dreamer protections which are still working at this moment despite Trump's best efforts...there will not be open borders so that isn't going to happen...but I hope if we get the Senate, we can work on immigration and develop a fair policy. You hurt our efforts by attacking our leaders.

[tonedevil]

6. Dolores Huerta's words...

mean a lot more to me, and I suspect many others, than your's. Your "open letter" to her is hubris at best and it manages to be truly insulting to a civil rights icon.

[Demsrule86]

25. I suspect they don't and won't...as for insulting...she is jumped into the political arena ...you do

that and people have a right to examine your actions...I am tired of some coming after Democrats while giving the GOP a pass...if Joe is the nominee what good has she done? She could have supported Kamala without trashing Joe...well pay back is a you know what they say...wait for the next debate.

[tonedevil]

27. Good to see you standing strong...

against a civil rights icon. It helps me see what Biden supporters are made of.

[Demsrule86]

29. good to see you standing strong against Democratic party leaders...it helps me to...yada yada.

I do not believe in open borders...and know we will lose the election if we support such as thing...so I have little use for demands made by those who do not understand the need to rid ourselves of Trump.

[tonedevil]

30. I believe in Dolores Huerta...

a lot more than any politician. She organized Farm Labor when I was in my teens and early twenties it was something I was involved in and even got to meet her and Cesar Chavez. Biden has yet to impress me in this contest and while I will vote for him in a hot second if he is the Democratic Nominee I doubt I would ever be convinced to help him get that nomination.

[Demsrule86]

64. I don't as she is merely supporting a different politician than I do...and ignoring the GOP's sins.

[JustAnotherGen]

31. I agree and in regards to Biden

I guess in a General Election she'll have to tell her followers to stay home because Joe Biden is awful and got it wrong?

The damage was done in this video. It can't be undone. She did it. She won't be on our side if he wins and it comes up in the GE.


This sentiment goes for ALL viable candidates.

[Demsrule86]

65. And the thing is without a Democratic win, she will get nothing.

[Princetonian]

16. Huerta, who endorsed Harris today, is acting as Harris' proxy to attack Joe.

I suspect this is part Harris' NV strategy: win Latino votes by using Huerta to attack Biden via Obama's policy legacy.

It is no coincidence Huerta did this on the same day she endosrsed Harris. After all, this is the woman who bragged that she had planned for months to kneecap Joe at the first debate.

[Demsrule86]

26. Yeah you are right...but but she wants to take on Trump and all...

[Princetonian]

36. If Trump ran debate footage of Harris raising her hand in favor of decriminalizing borders in a loop

... what do you think would be our chances of winning swing states in the Midwest?

[Skya Rhen]

45. +1,000,000

[emmaverybo]

68. These are divisive tactics and not employed for the good of the country, but to opportunistic ends.

To attempt to pull support away from the front-runner to one’s self through misrepresenting facts and mischaracterizing him is bad enough.

To use a proxy to do the same is engaging in distasteful and desperate political battle.

Tell and show us why, Kamala Harris, you are the best candidate to be the president of the United
States, the leader of the free world; to head up a global super-power, to repair our international
alliances and to deal with our enemies; to conduct foreign policy at a time when we are closer to
nuclear conflict than ever before in history.

Honestly, I am not seeing your qualifications, experience, or knowledge on display in these strategic maneuvers against Joe Biden.

[Princetonian]

71. Amen to that!

[treestar]

19. All Obama did was deport people who were illegally in the country

and in fact refrain from deporting many people who were illegally in the country because they were young when they came or had US citizen children! And that's supposed to be so wrong? While a good number of voters are quite sympathetic to asylum seekers and even undocumented immigrants, we can't expect them to condemn the fact of there being any restrictions whatsoever and the POTUS is wrong for allowing undocumented immigrants to be deported. Whether it is civil or criminal is neither here nor there - deportation is civil, and that makes more sense than jailing them in the US as criminals.

[emmaverybo]

67. Let us not forget that under Obama comprehensive immigration reform was

proposed, a well thought-out and thorough plan called, in fact, The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, to create a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented workers in addition to providing Dreamer protections.

This act, had it passed, would have been of immediate benefit to those workers. A fair policy was developed. Republicans stopped it.

No. There will not be open borders. Unfortunately, many independents got the message that if Dems get in, we are going to dispense with any border security.

Having no policy on immigration, no border protection, no requirements for legal immigration through various criteria, is not only an election loser, but irresponsible.

[BannonsLiver]

9. Wasn't Dolores the person who got shouted down by Sanders supporter Susan Sarandon?

[tonedevil]

10. Indeed...

not to mention there was a lot of bad blood between her and "Bernie Bros". That said, from looking at comments starting to roll in here she is going to get a lot of vitriol from Biden supporters now.

[BannonsLiver]

13. That's unfortunate.

But comments on DU are different than in-person, real life harassment Dolores endured. Apples and oranges.

[tonedevil]

33. You are right there...

I don't think she even knows there are conversation threads devoted to her on DU. If she does I'm sure the negative comments are giving her a good chuckle.

[Princetonian]

11. Your OP title is overwrought. Huerta expresses disappointment, that's all. I agree with Biden 100%

Is it a coincidence that Huerta also endorsed Harris today?

[Hassin Bin Sober]

14. I used the YouTube title

The democracy now title was much more inflammatory. Of course, Democracy Now used Huerta’s own words so ...

[Princetonian]

15. All good, then.

Better to use Huerta's own words.

[treestar]

12. It still has laws about it now

Last edited Fri Aug 2, 2019, 03:45 PM - Edit history (1)

Seems absurdly extreme to take the position none should ever be deported when in the USA without authorization. How is that going to attract voters ? Most people agree with the restrictions. Unless they are repealed, there are people who are deportable.

If she wants no restrictions, that has to go through Congress. Those restrictions started long before Biden was even elected to the Senate. Again Biden is the heavy and apparently completely responsible for the laws as they exist.

Plus there is no way Biden agrees with what the Orange Dotard is doing. Implying that was very wrong.

[LincolnRossiter]

18. It's absolutely ridiculous (and politicallly suicidal) to take an open borders position

All Biden said was that we can't completely decriminalize unauthorized border crossings. And we can't/shouldn't.

[treestar]

20. +1. Huerta here expects a whole lot

and Biden is hardly the architect of the entire thing.

All Biden said was that immigrants should not come illegally, which is hardly an unreasonable sentiment, and most voters would likely agree.

[Everyman Jackal]

21. America was built on immigration.

Of course it was or else there would only be indigenous people here. But now we have to make very hard decisions on who can come here. What criteria need to be followed.

[Spider Jerusalem]

22. Actually it was built on colonialism and genocide

but saying "immigration" sounds nicer and makes us feel better.

[Sapient Donkey]

28. So, how many are looking for a policy that is essentially an open border policy?

Which is fine if that's where we're heading, but make that clear and give solid arguments for why it should be and how it should be implemented. I've always been under the impression that the majority of Americans, includes democrats such as us, are not for completely open borders. Most arguments I've seen are in favor of fixing our system to allow more people in, speeding up the processes, and some sort of amnesty program. I don't see Biden's responses being out of line of the traditionally held democratic views on immigration. His stances do not align with the notion of open borders or mostly open borders. though. If that's what folks want, then I would like to see that clearly stated and I would like them to make a compelling case as why it should be that way.

*I'm for discussing ideas and laying out the pros/cons of everything. I don't like outright denying or accepting only certain ideas because that's how it has always been.

[Princetonian]

34. Huerta endorsed Harris who raised her hand at the debate in favor of decriminalizing the border.

Of course, when asked to defend her stance on The View, she struggled and was all over the place.

[jcgoldie]

51. This is false equivalency

Decriminalization does not mean open borders. That's right wing BS.

[Sapient Donkey]

69. What does it mean then?

I am asking because I truly do not fully understand what the end goal is. When it's decriminalized and someone is caught being here illegally, what happens to them? Obviously we don't want put kids in cages and we want to treat them humanely. Assuming we get rid of all inhuman Trump instituted acts, how would it differ from how we handled this when Obama was president?

[jcgoldie]

70. Here is an article which teases out Julian Castro's position

Basically illegal border crossing is a matter of civil law even if the misdemeanor law is lifted (decriminalization)...

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/juli%C3%A1n-castro-doubles-down-on-decriminalizing-migration-repeal-illegal-reentry-too_n_5d23b460e4b07e698c3fa045

[Sapient Donkey]

72. Thanks for the link.

Last edited Tue Aug 6, 2019, 12:14 PM - Edit history (1)

I read through it and I didn't gather much as to how people who cross the border without authorization are to be handled. If decriminalization simply mean we don't lock people up in prison (particularly private prisons), then I fully support that idea. However, the system we have in place now doesn't work. So, the question is what happens with those people even if we manage to decriminalize unauthorized crossings? Do we just let them come in? If so, do we grant them some sort of status and give them some sort of official identity within the US? Is that considered open borders? If we're not just letting folks in, what happens to them? Do we dump them off in mexico without any stay in the US? Do we process them and get their story (asylum seekers)? While this is going on, where do they go? Release them and hope they come back? If we release them and they don't have family or friends in the US, do we help them with housing? Do we put them in prisons or camps or even specially built communities for this?

Maybe these have discussed in depth by some, but I haven't seen much of it in the public discourse. It always tends to be a couple sentences w/o much detailed discussion about what it means.

[Devil Child]

32. Respectfully, no.

Open borders is political and national suicide. No thanks.

[Eric J in MN]

74. Illegal border crossing should be a civil offense not a criminal offense. NT

NT

[stonecutter357]

35. let's go Joe !

[Lordquinton]

37. One thing I learned from 2016 is to listen to our Civil Rights Icons

Even if they aren't supporting the candidate we support.

[Celerity]

40. Huerta's stance is electoral suicide. nt

[Princetonian]

57. Huerta endorsed Harris who is in favor of decriminalizing the border.

[5starlib]

41. Huerta was really nasty towards Obama in 2008

during the primaries. She was a HRC supporter and I recall she made some pretty nasty statements about Obama.

[Princetonian]

59. Yes she was. Huerta is being used as a attack proxy by Harris just as she was employed then.

[Autumn]

42. There goes her Sainthood? nt

[Hassin Bin Sober]

43. Apparently

[LanternWaste]

50. How oppressed you guys are...

It's a trendy look, so I can readily understand why taking issue with a particular concern implies the removal of the sainthood moniker (never used) and places them in a position of victim-hood (never done): it's great ad copy, and fits on a bumper sticker.

Nuance and context not needed when we can pretend abuse from the mere disagreement of others.

[oasis]

46. No human being is beyond "getting it wrong" at times. nt

[Autumn]

47. I think "getting is wrong" is an opinion held by some, she doesn't think she's wrong.

She's entitled to her opinion.

[aikoaiko]

48. This is Joe's pattern in primaries. The more he talks, the more he disappoints.

He may have the plurality in the end, but right now more people want a non-Joe Biden candidate than a Joe Biden.

[lark]

52. RW'ers kill nearly 30 people and she is acting like Biden is the problem? Really?

Glad she's got her priorities right and attacks the man responsible for the increase in hate and guns.

[jcgoldie]

58. Do you realize this OP is from Friday?

[lark]

63. Sorry, no I missed that.

It does make it a little less heinous.

[Amimnoch]

55. I adore her! What she says is powerful and makes sense.

I do hope that Biden and his team takes her words to heart.

I would so dislike seeing Biden supporters doing something like Bernie Supporters shouting her down with "English Only". I'd like to think that I'd never see something like that coming from Biden supporters. Doubt I would.

Link to tweet

?s=20

Does my heart good to see Bernie Supporters supporting her wise words now. She is an icon and a legend, and deserves respect.

[sheshe2]

60. +1

[ucrdem]

73. Democracy Now is a kind of death star aimed at Democrats

And if Kamala Harris by some weird wrinkle became our nominee she would change her tune on immigration faster than you can say si se puede.