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Decision 2024 | Indiana's US Senate candidates discuss immigration

The two candidates running for U.S. Senate – Republican Jim Banks and Democrat Valerie McCray – spoke about their views on immigration.

INDIANAPOLIS — 13News is sitting down with the candidates in next month's election hoping to hold some of the biggest offices in our state — candidates who could have major impacts on our lives.

The two candidates running for U.S. Senate – Republican Rep. Jim Banks and Democrat Dr. Valerie McCray – spoke about their views on immigration.

"Send those who came here illegally back to where they came from. Start with the criminals. Start with those who have committed violent crimes in the United States and deport them. Send them back, get them out of our country," Banks said. "And also hold businesses accountable who hire illegal labor. I think once you away that incentive for people to come here illegally to begin with, I think they'll start going back home, and our country will be better off for it." 

"One of the things that I was constantly reminded of is people don't want to leave home. They want to stay home. So there's dire circumstances that make them want to trudge over that border. There are things that they're looking for, things like that, and it's mostly safety. They need safety, they need to have a life that's not so dangerous," McCray said. "And so we need to accept that and make sure that we have laws in place that makes that transition smoother."

"You gotta fix the legal immigration policies and do away with the visa lottery system and replace it with a merit-based approach that takes Americans and our economy – the needs of our economy – first, before the needs of foreign countries, and that's how you fix it," Banks said.

"One of the things that we're going to have to look at as well, as with global warming, people will be migrating around the globe, and countries need to come together to figure out what we can do, how we can intervene, how many we can accept, how many we can accept in a humane way so we're welcoming and we're ready for the migration that's coming around the country, around the globe," McCray said.

You can watch the candidates' full interviews with 13News reporter Sia Nyorkor below: 

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