By: Sunita Sohrabji, Ethnic Media Services
Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance continued his party’s demonization of migrants Oct. 1 in his debate with opponent Tim Walz, blaming them for the nation’s housing shortage, lowered wages, and supplying fentanyl and guns.
In a post-debate spin room organized by AANHPIs for Harris/Walz, Rep. Judy Chu, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, said she was annoyed by Vance’s constant shaming of migrants. “I’m so irritated by him saying that our problem with housing has to do with illegal aliens taking up spots. Of course there is no evidence at all.”
Abortion
Chu blasted Vance for saying during the debate that he was “pro-women.” She noted that he has been supportive of a national abortion ban. During the debate, Vance said he has never supported a national ban on abortion. But when he ran for Senate in 2022, he did tell the Very Fine Peoplepodcast he “certainly would like abortion to be illegal nationally,” reported The Independent newspaper.
Rep. Ted Lieu, vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, said in the spin room that Vance had disqualified himself at the end of the debate when he refused to state that former President Donald Trump had lost the 2020 election. “You cannot be Vice President if you cannot agree on the basic issue of democracy.”
“Why is it that JD Vance is up here debating tonight, and not former Vice President Mike Pence? Because Pence did not follow Trump’s orders to do something illegal. He certified the election. And then Trump’s supporters wanted to hang him,” said Lieu, referring to the Jan. 6, 2021 invasion of the Capitol.
Immigration
Like his running mate, Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris, Walz did not defend migrants during the debate, hosted by CBS News and moderated by Margaret Brennan and Norah O’Donnell. The Minnesota governor parried back, saying that the Biden/Harris administration had introduced a bi-partisan immigration bill, co-sponsored by Republican senators, and supported by Customs and Border Patrol. The bill did not pass because Trump called his supporters and effectively killed the bill, alleged Walz.
“Trump wanted an issue he could campaign on. So he killed the bill. He had 4 years to fulfill his immigration agenda. But only 2% of the wall has been built and Mexico hasn’t paid a dime,” said Walz.
‘Lost Children’
Brennan asked Vance if children would be separated from their parents under Trump’s proposed mass deportation plan. Vance ditched the question twice, pushing back against the Biden/Harris administration. “Right now in this country, Margaret, we have 320,000 children that the Department of Homeland Security has effectively lost. Some of them have been sex trafficked. Some of them, hopefully, are at home with their families. Some of them have been used as drug trafficking mules. The real family separation policy in this country is unfortunately Kamala Harris’ wide open southern border.”
CBS News fact-checked Vance’s statement, noting he was likely referring to an August report issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That report stated that 32,000 unaccompanied minors had not shown up for their court hearings over the past 5 years. CBP has also not issued hearing notices to 291,000 unaccompanied minors as of May 2024, according to the report.
Moderators cut mics during a prolonged squabble on immigration, amid an otherwise cordial debate.