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Clinton claims there's growing 'anxiety' in Sanders' campaign

Hillary Clinton laced into Bernie Sanders on Monday over an array of quibbles over policy and positions, reopening long-running differences on immigration and continuing to hammer the Vermont senator on the increasingly personal nature of the campaign as it shifts to New York.

"There seems to be a growing level of anxiety in that campaign, which I hope doesn’t spill over into the way that his supporters treat other people who have every right to support whomever they choose," Clinton told reporters at a restaurant in Queens, where she also denounced the rhetoric of Donald Trump.

Remarking that she is "far ahead" of Sanders in the popular vote and "considerably ahead" with pledged delegates, Clinton urged her opponent to "stay on the issues and let voters in New York and the states that follow" make their decisions.

Among those issues Clinton touched upon during the impromptu gathering was Sanders' 2007 vote against an immigration reform bill due to a guest-worker provision that he has likened to modern-day slavery. Clinton also noted Sanders' appearance on Lou Dobbs' program, which she said "at the time was really beating the drum against legal immigration."

"I think our records are very clear," Clinton said, noting her longtime support of the DREAM Act. Sanders, she added, "was supporting the so-called vigilantes, the minutemen on the border."

That assertion also surfaced during last month's debate in Miami, in reference to an amendment to a Homeland Security appropriations bill that would ban the department from providing foreign governments with information about "the activities of an organized volunteer civilian action group, operating in the State of California, Texas, New Mexico, or Arizona."

Clinton said she is looking forward to the Thursday night debate in Brooklyn.

"I have noticed that under the bright spotlight and scrutiny in New York, Sen. Sanders has had trouble answering questions. He's had trouble answering questions about his core issue, namely dealing with the banks," Clinton said, referring to Sanders' Daily News editorial board interview. "He's had trouble answering foreign policy questions. And so I look forward to a debate that is in New York with people asking the kind of questions that New Yorkers ask."