Democratic New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker claimed that giving free government health care to illegal immigrants is a “common sense thing.”
The 2020 presidential candidate made the comments to CNN’s Jim Sciutto Tuesday after releasing his immigration plan earlier in the day. (RELATED: Cory Booker Wants Every Gun Owner To Interview With The Federal Government)
“First of all, this is not a Progressive decision. It’s a common sense thing,” Booker said.
Booker then referenced his time as mayor of Newark, New Jersey to justify his stance. (RELATED: Cory Booker Brings Up Holocaust Refugees While Discussing Trump’s Border Policies)
Democratic presidential hopeful Cory Booker speaks during the first Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season hosted by NBC News at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida, June 26, 2019. (JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)
“I was the chief executive of a city. Do I want someone who gets sick with a potential communicable illness to not be able to go to a hospital and get treated, to potentially affect others. Do I want kids to not get vaccinated that are in my country? We’ve got to have some common sense,” Booker said. “We may think that shutting off people to any kind of access to health care is some kind of stuff stance but it endangers our populations if we don’t have some pathway for people getting some kind of support.”
A poll published by CNN Monday showed that 59% of Americans oppose illegal immigrants receiving free health care from the government, while just 38% supported such a proposal. During the second night of last week’s Democratic presidential debates, all ten candidates raised their hands when asked by the moderator if their health care plans included coverage for illegal immigrants.