Cesar Vargas, a Latino outreach strategist working with Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) criticized the deportation raids on Central American illegal immigrants who he said are “refugees escaping from some of the most dangerous countries in the world” and stating the country can’t give life “to Donald Trump’s poisonous words of deportations” on MSNBC on Saturday.

Vargas said, “it’s terribly disturbing to hear that the government, under a Democrat administration plans a massive — raids to locate, detain, and deport Central American children and [families]. These children and families are refugees escaping from some of the most dangerous countries in the world, more dangerous than some war zones, and the reality is, Senator Sanders has said that he’s committed to keeping families [together]…and we can not be a nation that gives life to Donald Trump’s poisonous words of deportations. We cannot be a nation that says — that tells little children they need to be sent back as Hillary Clinton has said. So, for us, we cannot be this nation, we are a nation that seeks — that should provide refuge to those seeking refuge.” Vargas later argued, “they’re people who are refugees, and we have an international responsibility to protect them.”

He added, “For myself, this is personal. Just to hear that police can come in the middle of the night, and take away my family, or take away myself. You know, this is not what want in the holiday season. We want families to be together, not separated.”

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