Democratic debate: Second group focuses on Trump, immigration

June 27 (UPI) -- The second group of Democratic presidential hopefuls weighed in on a number of issues in their first debate Thursday night, taking aim at President Donald Trump and issues like immigration and healthcare.

Thursday's debate featured a new group of 10 candidates -- former Vice President Joe Biden; Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders; California Sen. Kamala Harris; South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg; Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet; New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand; former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper; California Rep. Eric Swalwell; author Marianne Williamson; and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.

Biden was the first to evoke Trump's name, saying the president "thinks Wall Street built America. Ordinary middle-class Americans built America."

Sanders said Trump is a phony, a pathological liar and a racist that lied during his campaign by failing to "stand up for working families."

Williamson made a direct appeal to Trump in her closing statements, saying he harnessed fear for political gain, while she will choose to harness love.

Immigration

The criminalization of people attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border and living as an undocumented immigrant again took center stage.

Buttigieg echoed Julian Castro's stance that making crossing the border a civil crime would solve the problem of family detention and separation.

"Criminalization is the basis for family separation," he said. "You do away with that, it's no longer possible."

Williamson said the act of separating and detaining children at the border is a "state-sponsored crime."

"If you take a lot of children and you put them in a detainment center, thus inflicting chronic trauma upon them, this is called child abuse," she said.

Gillibrand said she would continue to invest in border security in a way that focuses on preventing terrorists and traffickers rather than detaining people seeking asylum.

"The worst thing President Trump has done is he has taken money away from cross-border terrorism, cross-border human trafficking, drug trafficking and gun trafficking and he's given that money to for-profit prisons," she said.

Hickenlooper said he would focus on ensuring that facilities are able to accommodate families to prevent separation and are stocked with food and clothing and have access to medical care. He also called for a reform of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to ensure its agents carry out their jobs in a humanitarian way.

Harris noted that while Biden served in the Obama administration it deported undocumented immigrants that committed no other crimes and pledged that she would reinstate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and extend deferral of deportation for DACA parents and veterans.

Biden said he would take immediate action to reunite families and would "surge billions of dollars" to areas in Central America where migrants are fleeing to seek asylum.

Economy

Early in the night, the 10 candidates on stage were split between support of capitalism and more socialist policies.

Sanders opened the evening by calling for a tax on Wall Street to ensure that college and university tuition is free for all Americans.

Buttigieg called for a more limited plan that provides free college for low- and middle-income students.

"I think the children of the wealthiest Americans can pay at least a little bit of tuition," he said.

Harris proposed a change to the tax code that would add a $500 monthly tax credit for families who make less than $100,000 a year, while Yang championed his plan to pay a $1,000 subsidy each month for every American.

Yang said this subsidy would increase the quality of American life and decrease the need to spend on issues such as incarceration and homelessness.

"This the move that we have to make, particularly as technology is now automating away millions of jobs," said Yang.

Hickenlooper warned the candidates must make sure to avoid labeling themselves as socialists to prevent attacks from Republicans while Gillibrand made a distinction between capitalism and greed.

"In truth, we want healthy capitalism, we don't want corrupted capitalism," she said.

Healthcare

Candidates were also split on the issue of healthcare with only Sanders and Harris supporting eliminating private insurance while many supported a so-called public option between Medicare and private health insurance.

Sanders said that under his plan Americans will pay more taxes, but will ultimately pay less for healthcare while still receiving more services.

"Medicare is the most popular health insurance in the country," he said. "People don't like their private healthcare, they like their doctors and hospitals. Under our plan people go to any hospital they want any doctor they want."

Gillibrand said she believes that Americans will naturally choose Medicare over private insurance easing a transition to a single-payer system.

Both Biden and Bennet said the best path to achieving Universal Health Care is following through on the Obama Care model and creating a public option.

Williamson called for a focus on preventative care by focusing on chemical, environmental and drug policies.

"We need to talk about why so many Americans have unnecessary chronic illnesses," she said.

Guns

Swalwell stated that his plan to ban assault rifles and implement a government buyback program was the only one that would effectively eliminate ownership of such weapons.

"Keep your pistols, keep your rifles, keep your shotguns but take the most dangerous guns out of the hands of the most dangerous people," he said.

Harris said she would immediately give Congress 100 days to pass a gun bill or she would implement comprehensive background checks, call for the federal government to revoke the licenses of sellers who break the law and ban the import of assault weapons.

Sanders said he would focus on implementing universal background checks, closing the gun show loophole and banning the sale and distribution of assault weapons.

"Assault weapons are weapons for the military," he said.

2020 election: Democrats running for president debate issues in Miami

Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., are introduced prior to the NBC, MSNBC, Telemundo Democratic Primary Debate in Miami on Thursday. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Appearing on stage for the second night of democratic debates from left to right, author Marianne Williamson, former Gov. John Hickenlooper, businessman Andrew Yang, Buttigieg, Biden, Sanders, Harris, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Sen. Michael Bennett, D-Colo., and Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

The second group of Democratic presidential hopefuls weighed in on a number of issues in their first debate Thursday night, taking aim at President Donald Trump and issues like immigration and healthcare. The debate was moderated by Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie, Chuck Todd, Rachel Maddow and Jose Diaz-Balart. Photo by Gustavo Cabellero/UPI | License Photo

When the subject turned to immigration, Harris noted that while Biden served in the Obama administration it deported undocumented immigrants that committed no other crimes and pledged that she would reinstate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and extend deferral of deportation for DACA parents and veterans. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Bennet, along with Biden, said the best path to achieving Universal Health Care is following through on the Obama Care model and creating a public option. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Gillibrand said she would continue to invest in border security in a way that focuses on preventing terrorists and traffickers rather than detaining people seeking asylum. "The worst thing President Trump has done is he has taken money away from cross-border terrorism, cross-border human trafficking, drug trafficking and gun trafficking and he's given that money to for-profit prisons," she said. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

When asked about college affordability, Buttigieg called for a more limited plan that provides free college for low- and middle-income students. "I think the children of the wealthiest Americans can pay at least a little bit of tuition," he said. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Biden (L) is introduced alongside Sanders during the debate. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Biden was the first to evoke Trump's name, saying the president "thinks Wall Street built America. Ordinary middle-class Americans built America." On the subject of immigration, Biden said he would take immediate action to reunite families and would "surge billions of dollars" to areas in Central America where migrants are fleeing to seek asylum. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Sanders said Trump is a phony, a pathological liar and a racist that lied during his campaign by failing to "stand up for working families." When the subject turned to healthcare, Sanders said that under his plan Americans will pay more taxes, but will ultimately pay less for healthcare while still receiving more services. "Medicare is the most popular health insurance in the country," he said. "People don't like their private healthcare, they like their doctors and hospitals. Under our plan people go to any hospital they want any doctor they want." Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Yang championed his plan to pay a $1,000 subsidy each month for every American. Yang said this subsidy would increase the quality of American life and decrease the need to spend on issues such as incarceration and homelessness. "This the move that we have to make, particularly as technology is now automating away millions of jobs," said Yang Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

When discussing the migrant crisis at the border, Hickenlooper said he would focus on ensuring that facilities are able to accommodate families to prevent separation and are stocked with food and clothing and have access to medical care. He also called for a reform of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to ensure its agents carry out their jobs in a humanitarian way. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Democratic presidential primary candidates are introduced prior to Wednesday's debate: from left to right, New York Mayor Bill De Blasio, Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan; former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro; New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker; Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren; former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke; Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar; Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard; Washington Gov. Jay Inslee; and former Maryland Rep. John Delaney. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Democratic presidential primary candidates stand before moderators on the first night of debates. The debate was moderated by Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie, Chuck Todd, Rachel Maddow and Jose Diaz-Balart. Photo by Gustavo Cabellero/UPI | License Photo

Another 10 candidates will debate on Thursday at the same venue, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Miami. Photo by Gustavo Cabellero/UPI | License Photo

When asked about immigration, Booker said he would take immediate action to reinstate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and implement paths to citizenship for those affected as well as those with temporary protected status. Booker was also the only candidate to not raise his hand when asked if they would sign onto the 2015 Iran nuclear deal as originally negotiated, adding however that he believed it was a "mistake" to pull out of the deal. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Castro stressed the importance of repealing section 1325 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and treating crossing the border illegally as a civil violation instead of a criminal one. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

O'Rourke appeared to dodge an early question about whether he would support a 70 percent tax rate on people in the United States making more than $10 million a year, at one point saying in Spanish that the economy must work for all people. However, O'Rourke pledged to shift $5 trillion over the next 10 years to climate issues and pay farmers for environmental services they choose to provide. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

De Blasio stated bluntly that the Democratic Party should favor a 70 percent tax rate on the wealthy, as well as programs such as free college. De Blasio was one of only two candidates to raise his hand when asked if they would abolish their private health insurance in favor of a government-run plan. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Klobuchar, spoke out in favor of a more incremental healthcare plan and implementing a so-called public option. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

link:Ryan: "https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2019/04/04/Ohio-Democrat-Tim-Ryan-joins-2020-race-for-president/9121554391859/"}, called for the United States to remain engaged in global issues such as the war in Afghanistan and keep military forces there until the situation is resolved. "The reality of it is if the United States isn't engaged, the Taliban will grow," he said. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Delaney said it is possible to implement carbon pricing, a practice that charges large emitters of carbon dioxide for the negative environmental effects, and pass the funds back to consumers. "You can't put a price on carbon, raise energy prices and not give the money back to the American consumer," he said. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Inslee called for the expansion of so-called sanctuary laws that prevent local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities and opposed the detainment and separation of children from their families at the border. "There is no reason for the detention and separation of these children. They should be released, pending their hearings and they should have a hearing and the law should be followed," he said. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Warren speaks to the media in the spin room after the debate, in which she defended her call for the deconsolidation of large companies, such as Facebook and Amazon, as a tactic to fight corruption and political lobbying. "Where I want to start this is I want to return the government to the people and that means calling out the names of the monopolists and saying I have the courage to go after them," she said. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez speaks to the media prior to the debate. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

A demonstration shows support for GOP President Donald Trump outside the debate venue in Miami. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

A demonstrator stands outside the democratic venue. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Demonstrators show opposition to Democrats. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

A supporter of former Vice President Joe Biden hands out ice cream outside the debate venue. Biden is slated to participate in Thursday's debate. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo