And candidate Hillary Clinton sparked criticism of her own Tuesday after her campaign website posted a list of “7 ways Hillary Clinton is just like your abuela.” Thousands of Latinos quickly took to Twitter to list the ways that Hillary Clinton was not just like their grandmother. Both the hashtags “#NotMiAbuela” and “#NotMyAbuela” quickly went viral, as people denounced what they saw as “Hispandering” by the Clinton campaign. Many drew attention to the funding Clinton’s campaign received from private prison corporations with government contracts to run for-profit detention centers for undocumented immigrants. Others drew attention to Clinton’s statements on CNN last year calling for the United States to send back children fleeing violence in Central America who have reached the U.S. border.
CNN reporter: “Should they be able to stay here? It’s safer.”
Hillary Clinton: “Well, it may be safer, but that’s not the answer. I do not”—
CNN reporter: “So should they be sent back?”
Hillary Clinton: “Well, first of all, we have to provide the best emergency care we can provide. We have children five and six years old who have come up from Central America. We need to do more to provide border security in southern Mexico.”
CNN reporter: “So you’re saying they should be sent back now?”
Hillary Clinton: “Well, they should be sent back as soon as it can be determined who responsible adults in their families are.”