Biden: ‘DACA Students Are More American Than Most Americans Are’

Former Vice President Joe Biden during a campaign rally in Reno, Nevada said that illegal immigrants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program are “more American” than most U.S. citizens.

“Once again, legalize all the DACA students. These DACA students are more American than most Americans are,” Biden said Monday evening. “No, I’m serious. Think about it. They come along when they’re eight-years-old and their mom says they’re crossing the … they don’t know where they’re from. They’ve never been (to their native country). They’ve been good, decent citizens and they’re great additions. By the way … you know our Social Security system is still solvent? Because of immigration. They didn’t cost us anything, they’re paying for it … and there’s a reason why it’s moving.”

The Democrat presidential hopeful made the same claim in January while speaking at a campaign event in Iowa.

These kids have come, they’ve done well, most of these kids there’s a lot of them, and they’re not just Hispanic, they’re Asian-Pacific Islanders as well. and they in fact have done very well,” Biden said at a campaign rally in Ames, Iowa. “In many cases, they’re more American than most Americans because they have done well in school. They believe the basic principles that we all share. I think they should, in fact, put on a path to citizenship.”

Biden unveiled his immigration plan in December, a plan that is considered largely moderate compared to his progressive contenders. The plan calls for an overhaul of the Trump administration’s agenda that includes ending Migrant Protection Protocols, a program that mandates asylum seekers wait in Mexico while their cases are processed in the U.S. immigration court system. He also said he would reinstate DACA, abolish for-profit detention centers, and increasing the refugee cap current limit from 18,000 to 125,000.

“Joe Biden understands the pain felt by every family across the U.S. that has had a loved one removed from the country, including under the Obama-Biden Administration, and he believes we must do better to uphold our laws humanely and preserve the dignity of immigrant families, refugees, and asylum-seekers,” the plan reads.