August 5, 2016

At NABJ/NAHJ Joint Conference, Clinton Pledges to Fight For African-American and Latino Families

At the National Association of Black Journalists and National Association of Hispanic Journalists' Joint Conference in Washington, D.C. on Friday, Hillary Clinton paid tribute to the reporters ensuring our press corps reflect our country's diversity. Clinton discussed her commitment to greater African-American and Latino economic opportunity, which includes significant new investments to create more good-paying jobs, targeted approaches like Congressman Clyburn's 10-20-30 plan, criminal justice reform, and comprehensive immigration reform. Clinton also called out Donald Trump for empowering bigotry during the 2016 campaign, saying "We need to stand up as a country, and say Donald Trump doesn't represent who we are and what we believe [...] Many of you are showing the way. It’s a badge of honor when Jorge Ramos gets thrown out of a press conference for challenging Donald Trump. Or when another news organization gets banned for reporting what he says. As Jorge said, the best journalism happens when you take a stand, when you denounce injustice."

Clinton's remarks, as transcribed, are below:

“Morning! I am so pleased to be here, I want to thank you all for the invitation, for the introduction, to everyone associated with NABJ and NAHJ, I want to just mark the moment because you were created in this hotel.

I don’t know if there are any original founders, but if there are could you all stand up and we could give you some recognition?

I am delighted to thank you for the important work you do every day, and now more than ever we need you to keep holding leaders and candidates accountable. And in the tradition of path-breaking journalists like Ethel Payne and Ruben Salazar, we need you to make sure that America’s front pages and nightly newscasts and online information reflects the great diversity of our nation. 

Someone that I had the privilege of knowing, the late, great Bob Maynard, former owner of the Oakland Tribune, once said – and I quote Bob – ‘It is in seeing ourselves whole that we can begin to see ways of working out our differences of understanding our similarities,’ and becoming a more cohesive nation.

And that is what you do every day, helping us to see ourselves as whole. You help us see ourselves whole.

I’m looking forward to our discussion, which I’m sure will cover a wide range of issues, but I want to take just a few minutes to focus on a challenge that doesn’t get enough attention out on the campaign trail, although I’ve been trying, and that is: how do we expand economic opportunity for African Americans and Latinos across America?

And you know very well, it’s been said that when the economy catches a cold, communities of color get pneumonia. The Great Recession hit our whole country hard, but the toll was especially difficult for black and Latino families. Black wealth was cut in half. For Latinos, it dropped 66 percent. That represented decades, even generations of hard work. And during these past 18 months, people across the country have described to me how hard it’s been to get back on their feet in an economy that is still not working the way we all want to see it. And barriers of systemic racism makes that even harder.     

Now I believe that President Obama does not get the credit he deserves for leading us out of the Great Recession, and I like to remind people he had nothing to do with creating it in the first place. He came into office and this worst-of-all-financial-crises-since-the-Great-Depression was handed to him. And I think if you fairly look at the record, you have to conclude that his leadership saved us from a Great Depression.

So as bad as things became – 9 million jobs lost, 5 million homes lost, $13 trillion in family wealth wiped out – as bad as it was, there's no telling how far down we would have gone without his leadership. So we are out of the ditch that we were in, and now we’ve got to do even more. We’ve got to build on the progress we’ve made. 15 million new jobs in the last seven years. 20 million people now have health insurance who did not have it before he became President.

So we’ve got to have the will and the plans together to move forward. That’s why I’ve proposed a comprehensive new commitment to African American and Latino communities to make serious, sustained investments to create more good-paying jobs; to help families build and rebuild wealth; and support black- and Latino-owned small businesses. For me, these aren’t just economic issues – they’re part of the long, continuing struggle for civil rights.

Rosa Parks opened up every seat on the bus. Now we’ve got to expand economic opportunity so everyone can afford the fare. And we have to make sure the bus route reaches every neighborhood, and connects families with safe, affordable housing and good jobs.

Sylvia Mendez and Ruby Bridges helped desegregate our schools. Now we’ve got to help every family afford the books, computers and internet access that our kids need to learn in the 21st century.

And so in my first 100 days as President, we will work with both parties to pass the biggest investment in new, good-paying jobs since World War II. That includes jobs in manufacturing, clean energy, technology and innovation, small businesses, and infrastructure. If we invest in infrastructure now, we will not only create jobs today, we will lay the foundation for the jobs of the future.

We’re going to also focus on creating jobs in communities where unemployment remains stubbornly high after generations of underinvestment and neglect. I’m a big fan of Congressman Jim Clyburn’s ‘10-20-30’ plan – steering 10 percent of federal investment to neighborhoods where 20 percent of the population has been living below the poverty line for 30 years. We need that kind of focused, targeted investment – in urban places, rural places – wherever Americans have been left out and left behind.

We’re also going to invest $20 billion in creating jobs for young people. There’s a big gap here. The unemployment rate among Latino and African American youth is significantly higher than for whites. You know, it’s hard to write a resume if you have nothing to put on it. We’re going to help young people get that first job, so they can get that second job, so they can build a good solid middle-class life that will give them and their families a better future.

We’re going to do more to help black and Latino entrepreneurs get access to capital, so they have a real chance at turning their ideas into thriving businesses. Now I think that’s not only good for those entrepreneurs – it’s good for their families, their workers, and their communities.

Additionally, as part of our end-to-end reform of the criminal justice system, we’re going to help people succeed when they return home from jail or prison. We’re going to ban the box so they can be judged by their skills and talents, not by their past. And we will dedicate $5 billion to provide training and support to returning citizens so they can get good-paying jobs.

And in my first 100 days, I’m going to introduce legislation for comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship – that’s not only the right thing to do. Every independent analysis shows it will add hundreds of billions of dollars to our economy. It will also keep families together. We need to bring hard-working people out of the shadows. America has always been a place where people from around the world work hard and apply their talents to American growth and innovation in pursuit of their own dreams. So we’re going to do everything we can to get this done.

We need to build an economy and a future that every American can be proud of and be a part of.  An economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. That will be my mission as President.

These are just the highlights of our plan. I hope you’ll go to my website, hillaryclinton.com to read the details, including how we’re going to pay for everything I’ve proposed.

And of course I hope you’ll compare that to what my opponent is talking about.

Here’s one measure that you could use for that comparison: an independent economist recently calculated that, if my agenda for jobs and growth is put into place, our economy would create at least 10.4 million jobs within four years. We actually think it could be much more than that.

Now this economist also ran the numbers on Donald Trump, including his disastrous and inhumane plan to round up and deport millions of hard-working immigrants. The result, according to Mark Zandi, who was the economic advisor to John McCain during his 2008 run for the presidency, the result of Trump’s plans would be a ‘lengthy recession’ with 3.4 million jobs lost.

Now of course, Trump’s problems go far beyond economics. At every turn, he stokes division and resentment. He says horrible things about one group of Americans after another.  He’s harkening back to the most shameful chapters of our history and appealing to the ugliest impulses of our society.

You know the list, you’ve reported on it. He started his campaign by describing Mexican immigrants as ‘criminals’ and ‘rapists.’ He retweets white nationalists. He says a distinguished judge can’t be trusted because he is of Mexican heritage. He talks about banning Muslims from coming to the United States – a land built on religious freedom. And yes, he also talks about curtailing press freedom as well.

We need to stand up as a country, and say Donald Trump doesn't represent who we are and what we believe. That is what my campaign, what Tim Kaine and I, and everyone supporting us, is doing every day. And we're going to keep at it. Because I believe with all my heart that America is better than this. America is better than Donald Trump.

We just launched an all-Spanish Twitter account, because we want to bring as many Americans as possible into this conversation. We’ve opened offices in every state, because we want to compete everywhere – we want to bring our message and our vision to all corners of our country.

But we can’t do it alone. Everyone – Republican, Democrat, and independent – needs to stand up and speak out. And I think journalists have a special responsibility to our democracy in a time like this. As Ida B. Wells once said, ‘people must know before they can act, and there is no educator to compare to the press.’

Many of you are showing the way. It’s a badge of honor when Jorge Ramos gets thrown out of a press conference for challenging Donald Trump. Or when another news organization gets banned for reporting what he says. As Jorge said, the best journalism happens when you take a stand, when you denounce injustice.     

So I hope you’ll keep calling it like you see it. Keep holding all of us accountable. I have laid out all these plans, and I’m well aware that I have been sometimes made fun of for putting out these plans about the economy and education and gun safety measures and all the rest of it. But I have this old fashioned idea that when you run for President, you ought to tell the voters of America what you would do as President. So I am going to keep telling you what I'm going to do because I want you to hold me accountable, press and citizens alike.

Because the stakes are as high as they’ve ever been in our lifetimes. And we all have to do our part.

So thank you for what you do everyday, thank you for inviting me to address you today. And I look forward to taking some of your questions today. Thank you all very much.”


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For Immediate Release, August 5, 2016
Donald J. Trump for President

Trump Campaign Statement On Clinton's 100 Days Open Borders Pledge

“In her remarks today, Hillary Clinton pledged unconstitutional and illegal executive orders on immigration -- assuming king-like powers for herself -- that would give precious jobs and benefits needed by unemployed Americans to those illegally in the country.

Her pledge for amnesty in her first 100 days -- in the middle of a national security and a border security crisis -- demonstrates her callous and cruel disregard for the safety of the American people. This Administration has released hundreds of thousands of criminal illegal immigrants, and yet Clinton says she wants to go even further, ending virtually all deportations and ending all protections Americans have against open borders. Her extremist plan will ensure that individuals who mean to do harm and who show up at the border, or overstay their visas, are sprung loose time and again until an irreversible crime happens against innocent Americans like Sarah Root or Brandon Mendoza.” – Stephen Miller, Senior Policy Advisor

As A 2016 Presidential Candidate, Clinton Has Said “We Can’t Wait Any Longer For A Path To Full And Equal Citizenship”:

In May 2015, Clinton Said “We Can’t Wait Any Longer For A Path To Full And Equal Citizenship.” CLINTON: “The American people support comprehensive immigration reform, not just because it’s the right thing to do – and it is – but because they know it strengthens families, strengthens our economy and strengthens our country. That’s why we can’t wait any longer, we can’t wait any longer for a path to full and equal citizenship.” (Hillary Clinton,Remarks At An Immigration Round Table, Las Vegas, NV, 5/5/15)

In May 2015, Clinton Said That When Republican Presidential Candidates “Talk About Legal Status, That Is Code For Second-Class Status.” CLINTON: “Now this is where I differ with everybody on the Republican side. Make no mistakes; today not a single Republican candidate announced or potential is clearly and consistently supporting a path to citizenship. Not one. When they talk about legal status, that is code for second-class status.” (Hillary Clinton,Remarks At Rancho High School, Las Vegas, NV, 5/5/15)

• Clinton Said That As Secretary Of State, She Saw What Happens When Countries “Establish A Second-Class Status For People,” That It Is “A Recipe For Divisiveness And Even For Disintegration.” CLINTON: “As Secretary of State, I saw what happens to countries that establish a second-class status for people. They do not feel that they belong or they have any allegiance to the country in which they live and work because they’re never fully accepted. That is a recipe for divisiveness and even for disintegration and therefore, my view, strongly is that we are a nation of immigrants; we’ve assimilated tens and tens of millions of people over the course of our history.” (Hillary Clinton,Remarks At An Immigration Round Table, Las Vegas, NV, 5/5/15)

In May 2015, Clinton Said That Not Including A Path To Citizenship In Immigration Reform “Fundamentally Undermin[es] What Makes America Unique.” CLINTON: “We have eleven, twelve million people right now who are undocumented. The vast majority of whom have proven that they want to be a citizen of this country and we should put them on that path. And those who say, ‘oh yeah we can do immigration reform, but not a path to citizenship,’ would be fundamentally undermining what has made America unique – the way we have assimilated people, the way people who come here feel so loyal, the contributions they make. So this is not just in my view the right thing to do for America, if you compare us to other countries that did not take that step, you can see what it’s done to them, and I don’t want to go there. So, I very firmly support a path to citizenship in the context of comprehensive immigration reform.” (Hillary Clinton,Remarks At An Immigration Round Table, Las Vegas, NV, 5/5/15)

In May 2015, Clinton Said That Quickly Legalizing Illegal Immigrants Will Result In A Better Job Market For Everybody:

In May 2015, Clinton Said “The Quicker We Legalize The People Who Are Here [Illegally], The Better The Job Market Will Be For Everybody.” CLINTON: “Oftentimes, when I have conversations with people who are fearful of immigration reform, their fears are rooted in feeling that they’re losing jobs that are going to people who are undocumented. Part of the reason that fear has a reality to it is because people can pay you $6 an hour because you’re undocumented, then why would they pay somebody is already a citizen, what the minimum wage or the prevailing wage should be? My argument is, the quicker we legalize the people who are here, the better the job market will be for everybody because you will not have a group of people who are taken advantage of, and you will not have others who feel as though – and to some extent it’s true – are losing jobs because this group that is being taken advantage of is paid so much less and treated so much worse.” (Hillary Clinton,Remarks At An Immigration Round Table, Las Vegas, NV, 5/5/15)

Clinton Has Defended President Obama’s Executive Actions On Immigration And Vowed To Go Further:

In 2012, Obama Signed An Executive Order On Deferring Action For Childhood Arrivals, Which Allowed Some Illegal Immigrants To Avoid Deportation. “In June 2012, Obama announced that his administration would defer deportations for two years for people who came to the United States illegally as children. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has allowed people who are in school, have graduated or have been honorably discharged from the military to stay in the country without fear of deportation. More than 550,000 youths have received the two-year deportation deferrals, which are now being renewed for another two years.” (Rebecca Shabad, “Obama’s Key Executive Actions,”The Hill,7/6/14)

In May 2015, Clinton Said She Strongly Supported President Obama’s Immigration-Related Executive Actions And Said “He Had To Act In The Face Of Inaction.” CLINTON: “I want to reiterate my strong support for the President’s executive actions, because he had to act in the face of inaction that was not on the merit, but politically motivated for partisan reasons which I think is not the way we should be solving our problems in our country, in our Congress or anywhere else.”(Hillary Clinton,Remarks At Rancho High School, Las Vegas, NV, 5/5/15)

In May 2015, Clinton Said She Would “Do Everything Possible Under The Law To Go Even Further” Than Obama’s Immigration-Related Executive Action If Congress Doesn’t Act. CLINTON: “I will fight to stop partisan attacks on the executive actions that would put DREAMers, including those with us today, at risk of deportation. And if Congress continues to refuse to act, as President, I will do everything possible under the law to go even further. There are more people, like many parents of DREAMers and others with deep ties and contributions to our communities, who deserve a chance to stay and I will fight for them. The law currently allows for sympathetic cases to be reviewed. Right now, most of these cases, have no way to get a real hearing. Therefore, we should put in place a simple, straightforward, accessible way for parents of DREAMers and others with a history of service and contribution to their communities to make their case, and to be eligible for the same deferred action as their children.”(Hillary Clinton,Remarks At An Immigration Round Table, Las Vegas, NV, 5/5/15)

• Specifically, Clinton Said She Would Fight For More Protections For The Parents Of DREAMers That Aren’t Included Under The Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Or Deferred Action For Parents Of Americans (DAPA) Programs. CLINTON: “As you point out, in your family, you have a brother who’s a citizen so we have a lot of these blended families and I want to do more to make sure DACA and DAPA and all of the changes that have occurred continue, and even expand. I would like to try to do more on behalf of the parents of DREAMers who are not necessarily included.”(Hillary Clinton,Remarks At An Immigration Round Table, Las Vegas, NV, 5/5/15)

Please read the following excerpts from National Border Patrol Council’s letter condemning Hillary Clinton’s immigration platform.

“Finally, the administration intentionally misled the public on how many criminal aliens ICE released into the country. It has been reported that the agency released more than 80,000 illegal aliens with criminal records. …The Boston Globe reported that 30 percent of those released in New England re-offended and were charged with rape, child molestation, aggravated assault, armed robbery and attempted murder. This is Obama’s true legacy on border security.”

“Secretary Clinton’s call for amnesty in her first 100 days and expanding these dangerous policies demonstrates her deeply alarming willingness to sell out the security of American families to advance her political or financial interests. Her immigration plan is not only dangerous for all American families, but previews an Administration that will once again defy the will of the voters and Congress to implement a divisive, reckless, and partisan agenda.”

“Clinton’s Immigration Plan is dangerous, and may win her fringe voter support at the risk of every family’s security.”

“Chaos is the enemy of peace. The public must get the facts and reject this plan, and its architect, Secretary Clinton.”

“The National Border Patrol Council, and its 16,500 Border Patrol Agent members stand in opposition to this reckless, radical and deeply dangerous plan."

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RNC Statement On Hillary Clinton’s Remarks At The NABJ-NAHJ Convention