ATKINSON, N.H. (WHDH) - Presidential candidate Joe Biden slammed President Trump’s immigration policies as “scare tactics” and supported voting rights for criminals — including convicted terrorists — who have been released from prison in an exclusive 7NEWS interview while campaigning in New Hampshire Saturday.
During an interview with 7’s Sharman Sacchetti, the Democratic frontrunner discussed voting rights, immigration raids, slavery reparations and why he’s the Democrat’s best hope for beating Trump in a wide-ranging interview during a campaign stop.
After fellow Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders riled up many Massachusetts residents last month when he said Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Biden said he did not support letting Tsarnaev vote but backed restoring voting rights for anyone who has served their time.
“What I agree with is the Boston Marathon bomber’s not getting out of jail anytime soon. The fact of the matter is, anyone who does serve their time should have their rights reinstated,” Biden said, adding that “anyone” includes convicted terrorists if they are citizens.
As migrant detention centers have come under increasing scrutiny, Biden said he wants to reinstate an Obama administration plan to send $752 million in aid to Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras to keep people from migrating to the U.S. in the first place.
And he blasted conditions in migrant detention centers and the prospect of immigration raids.
“It’s a stunt. It’s wrong. We should not be separating families,” Biden said. “The president says he has an obligation to do this. What do you think? He has no obligation to separate families. This is ridiculous.”
The former vice president also weighed in on the heated debate over reparations. Advocates say descendants of slaves should be compensated for years of discrimination in housing, employment and education, while opponents say it would be too costly and too difficult to determine who deserves reparation.
Biden would not commit to either stance, saying he would “support a study to see what they recommend.”
Biden said being elected “to serve on the world stage” as vice president sets him apart from other candidates, and said he was campaigning on that record, not on heated rhetoric.
“What people are sick and tired of is the notion that we say we’re not gonna cooperate, we’re just gonna do it,” Biden said. “We gotta start talking to people.”
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