During a November rally, former Vice President Joe Biden snarkily told immigration activist Carlos Rojas, who interrupted his rally, “You should vote for [President Donald Trump.]”
Rojas didn’t become a Trump supporter, but he is now the Latinx Constituency Organizer for Sen. Bernie Sanders‘ (I-Vt.) presidential campaign.
In a Facebook post on Monday, Rojas — who was the leader of an immigration advocacy group — announced that he had been hired by the campaign, saying Sanders has the “most progressive platform” on immigration.
“I believe Sanders is the candidate who best aligns with my values and who will stand up for the working class and people of color,” Rojas wrote.
“As someone who is a part of the immigrants’ rights movement, I believe Sanders has the most progressive platform when it comes to immigration, foreign policy, and best approach when it comes to basic needs like healthcare and education,” he continued.
https://www.facebook.com/cerojasrodri/posts/10215422964669487
Rojas said Sanders supports policies that “resonate with a majority of Americans.”
“For me, working for Bernie Sanders, is beyond Bernie Sanders – it is about redefining the path we, as a nation, started walking in 2016 under 45. It is about rejecting white supremacy and the scapegoating of vulnerable communities and embracing popular ideals that resonate with a majority of Americans.”
While attending a Biden rally in South Carolina in November, Rojas criticized former President Barack Obama’s immigration policies — leading the former vice president to quip, “You should vote for Trump.”
As Rojas’ group proceeded to chant “note on more deportation,” Biden engaged with the activists, saying he would not stop all deportation. Specifically, he said that he would deport individuals who are convicted of felonies.
In defense of his proposed deportation policy, Biden asked, “No matter what happens — someone commits murder — they shouldn’t be deported?”
Watch the exchange below:
“You should vote for Trump,” Joe Biden tells @CosechaMovement protester Carlos Rojas at tonight’s town hall in Greenwood, S.C.
— Eric Bradner (@ericbradner) November 22, 2019
Rojas and other protesters from the group were criticizing Obama-era deportations and asked Biden to say he’d end all deportations — which he rejected. pic.twitter.com/od188WIlrQ
Biden has been criticized for how he talks about immigration policy. In November, the top Latino adviser for the Biden campaign quit, reportedly because she felt the campaign was not listening to her advice, as IJR has previously reported.