Martin O’Malley, the governor of Maryland, has traditionally been a strong supporter of President Obama and his administration, raising over $1m for his 2012 presidential campaign and publicly supporting Obama in the media on numerous occasions; however, the two seem to have come to an impasse on the issue of immigration reform.
Speaking at a Democratic Governors Association meeting in Nashville on Friday, O’Malley made it clear that he does not support the deportation of unaccompanied immigrant minors, as it is clearly not in their best interests. “We are Americans, and we do not return refugee kids who find themselves on our doorstep back into war-torn or famine-racked places where they will face certain death,” O’Malley declared. “I think we have to act like Americans.”
The statement made by O’Malley does not seem to tally with his actions, however. The Obama administration called on him to allow unaccompanied immigrant minors to be housed in Maryland; however, O’Malley objected to a federal shelter being opened in Carroll County. The shelter was going to be constructed inside an old Westminster military building, which last week was spray painted with a racist statement.
O’Malley is considering putting himself into the race for the Democratic presidential candidateship in 2016 and immigration reform is certain to be one of the key tenets of any campaign platform, with many political analysts believing that O’Malley is trying to distinguish himself from other candidates with his outspokenness.