By Sophia Rowel//On Wednesday Oct. 10, while the general population prepared to watch another riveting presidential debate, Hood College students experienced an exciting debate between Hood College Democrats and Hood College Republicans on the topic of immigration.
On the Democratic side, seniors Gabriel Cassutto and Kaylene Wright presented a fact-based line of reasoning and ethics while the Republican team composed of junior Luke Staley and sophomore Samantha Salus, offered more on the defense of American values and political structure. The heated discussion attracted a large audience and certainly provided comprehendible political observations for the crowd of millennials.
As immigration has become such a heated area in presidential campaigns, both sides were tasked with relaying the stances presented in each respective party platform.
Democrats kicked off the conversation with an introduction that called attention to the historic relevance of immigration in the discovery and founding of the United States. “If we choose the path of fear, we not only alienate millions of innocent people, who strive for a better life for themselves and their families, but we degrade the belief, values, and essence of what is inscribed on the statue of liberty,” Cassutto says leading into a quote from “The New Colossus.”