As Hillary Clinton begins a book tour to promote her 2016 campaign autopsy “What Happened,” video has begun to swirl online of a 2014 interview between her and CNN’s Christiane Amanpour to promote her previous book, “Hard Choices.”
During the exchange, Clinton had some tough words for the children of illegal immigrants, including waves of unaccompanied minors coming in 2014 — telling Amanpour that the United States was a nation of laws and that they probably had to go.
“We have to send a clear message, just because your child gets across the border, that doesn’t mean the child gets to stay,” said Clinton “So, we don’t want to send a message that is contrary to our laws or will encourage more children to make that dangerous journey.”
“So, you’re saying they should be sent back now?” Amanpour inquired.
“Well, they should be sent back as soon as it can be determined who responsible adults in their families are, because there are concerns whether all of them should be sent back,” said Clinton. “But I think all of them who can be should be reunited with their families.”
You can read the full exchange courtesy of CNN here.
The comments came as part of a broader immigration discussion in which Clinton reiterated her support for comprehensive immigration reform.
Per the transcript:
AMANPOUR: Such an important issue. And what about right now? As we’re seeing thousands of children come across —
CLINTON: Oh.
AMANPOUR: — shantied off into makeshift shelters.
CLINTON: It’s horrible.
AMANPOUR: Hard choice — let them stay in the United States or send them back?
CLINTON: Well, two quick points. One, the numbers are increasing dramatically. And the main reason I believe why that’s happening is that the violence in certain of those Central American countries is increasing dramatically. And there is not sufficient law enforcement or will on the part of the governments of those countries to try to deal with this exponential increase in violence, drug trafficking, the drug cartels, and many children are fleeing from that violence.
AMANPOUR: Should they be able to stay here? It’s safer.
CLINTON: Well — it may be safer but that’s not the answer. I do not —
AMANPOUR: Should they be sent back?
CLINTON: Well, first of all, we have to provide the best emergency care we can provide. We have children 5 and 6 years old who have come up from Central America. We need to do more to provide border security in southern Mexico.
AMANPOUR: So, you’re saying they should be sent back now?
CLINTON: Well, they should be sent back as soon as it can be determined who responsible adults in their families are, because there are concerns whether all of them should be sent back. But I think all of them who can be should be reunited with their families. And just as Vice President Biden is arguing today in Central America,
we’ve got to do more. I started this when I was secretary to deal with the violence in this region to deal with border security.
But we have so to send a clear message, just because your child gets across the border, that doesn’t mean the child gets to stay. So, we don’t want to send a message that is contrary to our laws or will encourage more children to make that dangerous journey.
AMANPOUR: We’re going to go on to a different topic. And this I’m going to read because it’s from Tumblr, who we’re partnering with. So, here we go.
Needless to say, Clinton’s tune changed quite a bit during her 2016 run and her post-candidate career. Just a year after her interview with Amanpour, she became a vocal immigration champion — specifically voicing her support for DACA.
And there were also these woke pronouncements, complete with her “—H” signature so you know she meant business!
If Mrs. Clinton’s position on DACA/DAPA is rooted in her compassion for the children of illegal immigrants, how is that consistent with her position articulated here with regard to the children crossing the border just three years ago?
… What Happened?
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Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that Secretary Clinton was not specifically speaking about DREAMers
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