Democratic presidential candidate and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted a sad Thanksgiving message Thursday. Sanders reminded voters that not everyone gets to spend Thanksgiving with their families thanks to U.S. immigration policies. Sanders' immigration plan, which he released Tuesday, calls for policies that welcome immigrants, reform deportation and detention programs, and provide a "legislative roadmap to citizenship" for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., among other goals, according to his website.
On Thanksgiving, Sanders tweeted, "As we gather with our loved ones to give thanks, let us reflect on the fact that not all families will be so lucky," with a link to his immigration plan. Moments later, he tweeted a New York Times editorial about his plan, with the message, "We have an obligation to enact policies that unite families, not tear them apart."
And the Times editorial board seems to agree. The Times said Republican candidates have recently had serious discussions "about sealing the border with fantastical 2,000-mile fences and weaponized drones; merging state, local and federal authorities and private prisons into one all-seeing immigration police state; forcibly registering American Muslims; mass-deporting 11 million Mexicans and others in a 21st century Trail of Tears; and turning away thousands of refugees fleeing war and terrorism in the Middle East."
…
One of the most notable aspects of the plan — and possibly the reason Sanders mentioned it on Thanksgiving — is Sanders' goal to bring back deported undocumented immigrants if they have close relatives living in the U.S., according to USA Today.
Though analysts are saying the plan is radical and puts Sanders firmly to the left of all the candidates, the Times said former presidents Ronald Reagan and both Bushs have talked about why immigrants are an economic asset to the U.S. All three of those former presidents said immigrants should be welcomed and assimilated. Sanders plan hopes to get back to that older, not-so-radical view.