At the Democratic debate in Houston last night, former Vice President Joe Biden responded with a lie when asked about the Obama Administration’s record of deporting 3 million illegal aliens, more than any other administration before it, as The Hill reports.
When moderator Jorge Ramos pressed Biden on the record number of deportations, Biden dodged the question by instead comparing Obama-era policies to the Trump Administration’s policies, saying “we didn’t lock people up in cages” and “we didn’t separate families.”
During CNN’s live blog of the debate, the network fact-checked Biden’s statement and confirmed that family separations did, in fact, occur under the Obama Administration. The Daily Caller has done additional reporting that includes numerous photos of migrants, including children, being kept in cages under Obama.
The exchange was one of many examples where Biden deflected when asked about aspects of the Obama presidency that are less popular with the far-left base.
This led to former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro (D-Texas), another former Obama Administration official, echoing Senator Cory Booker’s (D-N.J.) criticism that Biden would campaign on the Obama record when it was convenient for him, but dodge when it would negatively impact his campaign.
Biden is currently the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, and thus has been facing numerous jabs from his opponents and the media in recent weeks, raising questions about the strength of his candidacy.