Joe Garcia Calls Out Carlos Curbelo for Refusing to Attend Immigration Forum
MIAMI, FL – Today former Congressman Joe Garcia called out his Republican opponent Rep. Carlos Curbelo for refusing to answer for his anti-immigrant record in a forum hosted by a coalition of immigration groups. Garcia will be the sole participant in the forum and will answer questions from organizers and audience members.
“It’s disappointing my opponent refuses to discuss one of our community’s most important issues,” said Joe Garcia candidate for Florida’s 26th Congressional District. “I’m proud to have led the fight for comprehensive immigration reform in the House and look forward to even more dialogue from our community on how we can continue to push for a reform that will make South Florida stronger.”
The forum organizers include the Florida Immigrant Coalition, Americans for Immigrant Justice, Friends of Miami Dade Detainees, Haitian Lawyers Association and We Count.
“It’s not surprising Carlos refuses to talk about immigration reform since he has an anti-immigrant record to answer for,” said Javier Hernandez, spokesman for the Garcia campaign. “Beyond that, it is insulting when Carlos says he believe immigration reform is important but isn’t even willing to sit down with immigration groups to talk about making the system work better.”
Garcia was the sponsor of the last comprehensive immigration reform bill to be filed in the House. When the Republican leadership refused to hold a vote on the bill, Garcia led a group of Democratic lawmakers in asking President Obama take action, which he did in the form of DACA and DAPA.
In comparison, Curbelo has gone on radio to support legal action against deportation protection for millions of families. In the same interview, he flatly said he did “not support amnesty,” and called for the deportation of children and teenagers detained during the 2014 border crisis. In Congress, he continued to opposed the President’s use of executive actions over immigration. He is also a die-hard supporter of House Speaker Paul Ryan, even going as far as saying he is “always all-in for Paul Ryan.” The same Paul Ryan who pledged to take no action on immigration reform.
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