Joe Biden was the subject of intense questioning from Latino moderator Jorge Ramos during the Democratic debate on Thursday night in Houston.
Citing the El Paso, Texas, shooting in August, which allegedly targeted Latino immigrants and which Ramos referred to as the ‘deadliest massacre of Latinos in modern U.S. history,’ the moderator pointedly directed a series of immigration questions to Biden.
“You supported the border wall,” he started, citing former President Obama’s policies on immigration.
Further critiquing the views on immigration held collectively by Obama and Biden during their time in office, Ramos pointed out that the Obama presidency was responsible for removing more immigrants from the United States than any other presidency in history.
“You served as vice president in an administration that deported 3 million people, the most ever in U.S. history,” Ramos said sharply. “Did you do anything to prevent those deportations?”
Before allowing Biden to answer, Ramos continued with accusations of unfair treatment of immigrants under the Obama administration and Biden’s previous avoidance of answering the question.
“You’ve been asked this question before and refused to answer, so let me try once again,” Ramos said. “Are you prepared to say tonight that you and President Obama made a mistake about deportations? Why should Latinos trust you?”
Biden defended himself by asserting that the Obama administration is unique from the Trump administration in that they didn’t “lock people up in cages.”
[Related: ABC Democratic debate moderator Ramos tells Latino audience: ‘This is our country too’]
