Biden: GOP immigration rhetoric ‘dangerous’

by Rafael Bernal - 02/25/16 2:30 PM ET

Vice President Biden on Thursday slammed Republican presidential candidates for what he called “dangerous, damaging and incredibly ill-advised” rhetoric on immigration.

“The message that is coming out of the United States as a consequence of the presidential campaign, about American attitudes toward Mexicans and Mexico generally, the entire hemisphere and our place in the world, is disturbing,” Biden said in Mexico City.

{mosads}The Vice president spoke to reporters during the inaugural ceremony of the bilateral High Level Economic Dialogue conference. Four American and six Mexican cabinet-level officials were in attendance.

Several GOP presidential candidates have drawn controversy for strong statements on immigration and trade. Most notably, Donald Trump angered many when he began his presidential campaign calling Mexican immigrants “criminals” and “rapists.”

Biden slammed “some of the rhetoric coming from some of the presidential candidates on the other team,” but added, “Here’s what I’m here to tell you. They do not, they do not, they do not represent the view of the vast majority of the American people.”

The American delegation in Mexico City includes Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. The Mexican Cabinet’s top economic officials are in attendance, including Luis Videgaray, the powerful finance secretary and ally to President Enrique Peña Nieto.

Also in the American delegation is Ambassador Roberta Jacobson, nominated in July by President Obama to fill the empty ambassadorship to Mexico. Jacobson’s nomination has been blocked by Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) — also a GOP presidential candidate — because of her role in rapprochement between the United States and Cuba.

Tags Donald Trump Immigration Marco Rubio Mexico Penny Pritzker Sally Jewell