Posted on 01/07/2016 11:50:23 AM PST by VinL
GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz told a young woman who expressed fears that the next president might deport people like her that there are consequences for law breakers.
Cruz's response to Ofelia Valdez, who works for a non-profit that assists children with special needs, drew applause from those attending the Storm Lake, Iowa, event Wednesday. The exchange was captured on video by the Democratic Party, which provided a copy of the video to NBC News Latino. To see the video, click here.
Valdez, 30, identified herself as one of the approximately 700,000 immigrants who arrived or stayed in the country illegally, but have been allowed to remain and work under President Barack Obama's 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
"As a DACA holder myself, I worried about whoever comes next to the presidency and what's going to happen to people like us," Valdez says in the video, her voice sounding nervous. "I think of myself as a part of this community and you know, first day of presidency, you decide to deport, you know, people like myself, you know, it's just very difficult (inaudible)."
Cruz responds that by definition, a DACA recipient was brought to the U.S. illegally "and violating the laws has consequences."
"One of the problems of our broken immigration system is that it is creating human tragedies and and there are human tragedies when people break the law," he said.
He goes on to say other countries deport people who arrive illegally and U.S. laws should be equally respected and the consequences to breaking the law are "part of what makes America what we are."
Reached in Storm Lake by phone, Valdez told NBC News Latino that she had been wanting to hear the candidates and learned in a Google search that Cruz would be in town.
"I didn't know what to expect ... and was surprised when he was talking about things on his list for his first day of his presidency and at the top of the list was to deport immigrants here with DACA," Valdez said. "That's myself."
She told NBC she came to the U.S. at 15; she and her family are from Mexico.
"We are dealing with so much as a country of so much more importance and that is what he is focusing on," she said. "I agree with some of the things he has on his agenda, terrorism and other things the country is experiencing, and then he decides to do deportation as a priority his first days in office."
Valdez said she is a human resources director and oversees 140 people and also is an English as A Second Language instructor. She said she hopes the exchange helps put a face to who is being discussed when candidates talk about illegal immigrants.
"They need to know this is who they talk about when they talk about deportations," she said.
Cruz was flanked at the event by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, whom he recently named a national co-chair of his campaign. King has tried to pass end the DACA program through legislation and legislative provisions he's drafted and has stirred controversy by comparing immigrants to drug mules and cattle.
Many DACA recipients were brought to the country as young children and have grown up here as the Congress has failed for more than a decade to address their situation. Legislation known as the DREAM Act, which would have provided a path to legal residency or citizenship for many of the immigrants who attended college or served in the military, has failed repeatedly.
Cruz's position on immigration has been under scrutiny because of his previous support for expanding legal immigration avenues. But since he was grilled about his position by Marco Rubio in a GOP presidential debate last month, Cruz has been toughening his stand, which the addition of King to his campaign is helping to demonstrate.
I am not for deporting dreamers. I would rather they serve time first.
Probably some unfortunate Hispanic American born legally in America with a Hispanic surname.
My wife and I have known a few Hispanic American women and met some, who had their SS's stolen apparently when they were children. They found out about it, when someone else got their Income Tax refund instead of them. Apparently, the IRS does nothing re criminal actions against the illegals with the stolen SS#.
He’s the only one I’ve heard talk about how it’s not fair to the people that did it the legal, right way.
I must be missing all those open “polls”.
Or are you referring to the random posts by various FReepers requesting responses as to which candidate
“we” support?
Because I don't even bother to read/comment on those anymore.
Are you going to support Trump when he wins the republican nomination, or not?
.
Trump is not going to win anything.
Sane sensible America is planning to ignore Trump.
.
Bernie is demented, but harmless.
on a personal level he’s harmless....
Predictions come real tough...after having watched America vote for the ONE...Twice....
As soon as I type the words....NO ONE could really consider hillary a competant POTUS....I remember being UTTERLY and Absoutely sure that NO ONE would possibly vote for Baraq Obama
.
Truly.
“but harmless.”
Disagree there.
.
Compared to Hitlery and Trump, he is harmless.
I can see that it irritates you, editor-surveyor, that this election is different.
It's either Trump or total anarchy.
It will be one or the other.
.
Its Cruz.
Trump is not even close to electable.
Rubio and Bush are more electable than Trump.
Trump would produce anarchy with his lack of executive demeanor.
Your infatuation with Trump has denied you the power of reason.
I’m sure there are plenty-o-Mexicans in Mexico that could use some help from do-gooders.
“We are dealing with so much as a country of so much more importance and that is what he is focusing on,” she said.
I want the focus to be on deporting illegals and closing the border. That will fix a good deal of what this country is dealing with.
Although, I do have a feeling that, no matter who wins, there’s going to be some sort of legalization for those like her. Hope not...
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