Governor Martin O'Malley Addresses Nevada Battle Born Battleground First in the West Caucus Dinner
LAS VEGAS, NV — At tonight's Battle Born Battleground First in the West Caucus Dinner, Governor O’Malley praises President Obama's actions this week to reduce gun violence. O'Malley has the strongest record on gun safety and put forward the boldest and most progressive plan to reduce gun deaths.
Governor O'Malley also criticizes the mass deportation raids currently taking place right now. He calls for temporary protective status to families who fled violence from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. Governor O'Malley is the only candidate with a record of reform to fix our inhumane immigration system.
Below are excerpts of his remarks as prepared for delivery --
On the President's Gun Safety Executive Actions & Hateful GOP Rhetoric Toward Them:
A few days ago, President Obama stood beside families shattered by gun violence. He spoke to the nation and offered us reason and compassion and common sense to stem the scourge of gun deaths.
The president’s executive actions will expand background checks – something 9 in 10 Americans support. 9 in 10 Democrats. 9 in 10 Independents. 9 in 10 Republicans.
Sickeningly, mindlessly, Ted Cruz responded with a doctored photo depicting our president as a Nazi-esque soldier coming for Americans’ guns.
Have you no shame, Ted Cruz? Have you no shame at all?
Ted Cruz actually says the answer to gun violence is more guns.
Senator,
The answer to cancer isn’t more cancer.
The answer to poverty isn’t more poverty.
And the answer to gun violence isn’t more guns.
In Maryland, I brought people together to pass a comprehensive gun safety law, including a ban on combat assault weapons.
With new leadership in Washington, we can save American lives.
By requiring universal background checks.
By banning the sale of combat assault weapons nationwide.
By holding gun makers and gun sellers responsible when they arm criminals.
Because one American life is worth more than all the gun sales in America.
...
On the Ongoing Mass Deportation Raids of Families Fleeing Violence in Central America:
Our diversity is our strength.
We are a nation of nations.
E Pluribus Unum.
America is made stronger in every generation by the arrival of New Americans.
Now, there are voices in our politics today – voices of division, voices of fear – who question our common humanity…Demagogues who incite hate and try to pit us against one another.
I have news for them. There is no such thing as an illegal person.
Babies don’t come shaped like anchors.
And damn near all of us had to make our way here at some point. Over land, over sea, we came here, or our parents did, or their parents before.
We are a nation of immigrants. Yes. We wouldn’t be a nation otherwise.
I’ll tell you this; there is nothing more American to me than coming here to live the American dream.
But it will take new leadership to break 35 years of gridlock on immigration.
With new leadership in Washington we can provide immediate relief to the millions of New Americans whose hopes have been dashed time and time again because Congress has failed to do its job.
It is a national disgrace that we have the largest system of immigrant detention camps of any nation on the planet. And with new leadership we will shut them down.
And we will shred those government contracts with for-profit prison companies.
In the last few days, immigration officials launched nationwide deportation raids that are terrorizing hundreds of families…waking them up at dawn--some of the deportees as young as 4 years old--and sending them back to certain death.
This is not consistent with who we are as a country. We must stop ripping families apart AND once and for all put an end to these mindless deportations.
The answer is not to deport mothers and children who walked thousands of miles to ask for refuge. The answer is to extend temporary protective status to those who have fled from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
We must show with actions, not words, that we will lead our hemisphere with compassion and humanity.
