texas

Immigration Among Issues Pushing Hillary Clinton Supporters

A crowd stood on the corner in front of the Tarrant County courthouse on Miller Street, beckoning voters to cast their ballots. 

"Hillary, Hillary," they chanted as they held a Hillary Clinton banner. 

"I think immigration is huge," said Tarrant County Democratic Party Chairwoman Deborah Peoples. "We absolutely have to create a path of immigration reform that allows many of these people to stay in the state of Texas and continue to be great Americans." 

Among those in the crowd, an immigrant woman and her granddaughter, who did not want to be identified.

She told NBC 5 her daughter, a mother of two young girls who was here illegally, was deported.

"It felt bad because she had to leave both her daughters here," the woman said through her granddaughter's translation. "It's a big change for our family."

"Those are the kinds of tragedies that should not be happening in the United States of America," Peoples said. "We are a nation of immigrants."

The pressure grows on both Hillary Clinton’s and Donald Trump’s campaigns as the days get closer to election day. NBC 5 is doing a side-by-side comparison on where the two candidates stand on major issues. The next issue: deportation.

According to Hillary Clinton's website, her immigration plan includes comprehensive reform. She favors border security, but not in the form of a wall. Clinton supports President Obama's deferred action for undocumented immigrants already here, with a path to citizenship. Clinton has said criminal undocumented immigrants should be deported, but favors doing what is possible to keep families of law abiding immigrants together.

"I always get happy when somebody tells me, 'Oh, I'm voting this election,'" TCU Junior Lea Sandoval said. "Because I'm like, my voice can be heard through them." 

Sandoval is what's called a "dreamer." She moved to the United States illegally from El Salvador when she was 6-years-old. 

"As a 6-year-old, you don't really think about the laws and if you're breaking any laws," Sandoval explained. "You're just looking forward to being reunited with family." 

Sandoval has deferred action status through Obama's executive order.

She worries now that there's paperwork on her and her family, they might be deported if Clinton does not win. 

"Mr. Trump has said many comments that make immigrants feel we're not welcome here," Sandoval said. "And if he is elected president, it seems like he would just want to get rid of all of us."

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