‘Even though I can’t vote, I can get 200 people to vote, and that matters…’
(Ben Sellers, Liberty Headlines) While activists and media press for investigation into the use of illegal immigrant workers at President Donald Trump’s family-run golf courses, 2020 White House contender Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is openly hiring illegals for his own staff.
Sanders announced on Wednesday that he had brought on Belen Sisa, an Arizona-based activist and recent Arizona State University graduate, to be his deputy national press secretary, according to the Washington Examiner.
Sisa, who came with her parents from Argentina at the age of 6, is residing in the U.S. under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
While ineligible to legally vote in the U.S., she was a page to the Arizona delegation at the 2016 Democratic National Convention and has been active in outreach within the Latino community.
“Even though I can’t vote, I can get 200 people to vote, and that matters,” Sisa told the Arizona Republic at the time of the 2016 convention. “Everything can change depending on who becomes the next president. Our voice is starting to matter, and we can have an impact even though we can’t cast a ballot ourselves.”
That includes her having been arrested at least twice while protesting for immigration reform outside congressional offices, according to the Examiner.
According to Sisa’s mother, commenting at the time of her arrest, her DACA eligibility was due to expire in 2018.
It is unclear whether any sort of provisions were made by Sanders’ office that would prevent her from being deported—or whether federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement may have issued any detainer orders following her two arrests.
Sanders, despite saying questions like age and gender were irrelevant, recently signaled his desire for a younger, female running mate in his presidential campaign.
He also promised to address the calls from former staffers to reform his staff culture following allegations of rape and misogyny during his previous campaign.
Despite volunteering for the Sanders campaign last time around, Sisa told family members who were eligible to vote to support Hillary Clinton, according to the Arizona Republic.