Clinton: 'I Would Create The First Ever Office Of Immigrant Affairs' As President
ALBANY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton announced Wednesday that she would create an Office of Immigrant Affairs if she was elected president.
After receiving an endorsement from what some consider New York's most powerful labor group, SEIU Local 1199, and and immigrants' rights group, the former secretary of state said this office would build on what President Barack Obama has done with immigration.
"I would create the first ever Office of Immigrant Affairs," Clinton said. "It would build on the work of the Obama administration's task force."
This comes after the New York Daily News editorial board endorsed Clinton on Tuesday.
CBS2's Tony Aiello reported that Clinton is counting on strong minority support to defeat Sen. Bernie Sanders, after losing the black vote in New York to Obama eight years ago.
Clinton told Al Sharpton's "National Action Network" that America's long struggle with racism is far from finished.
"It's time to face up to the reality of systemic racism in all of its forms, and once we do, we are called to come together to break down all the barriers that still hold African-Americans back," Clinton said.
Sanders also notched a major endorsement Wednesday -- the transit workers of Local 100 which has 42,000 members.
"We've got a stand together, take on the big money interests, and make it clear the government works for all of us, not just the 1 percent," Sanders said.
He then stopped by a Verizon picket line in Brooklyn. Verizon's union, the CWA, has endorsed Sanders.
A Siena College poll showed Clinton leading Sanders by 10 percentage points among the state's Democratic voters ahead of next week's primary.
The poll showed Clinton favored by 52 percent of likely voters compared with 42 percent for Sanders, down from her lead of 55 percent to 35 percent in March.
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"While Clinton continues to hold a double-digit lead over Sanders, the Brooklyn-born Sanders has tightened the race in the last month over Clinton, the twice-elected former U.S. senator from New York,'' Siena pollster Steven Greenberg said.
Speaking in a live interview Wednesday on 1010 WINS, Clinton said there are a lot of polls out there, adding that "the only one that counts is on Tuesday" when New Yorkers go to vote.
Among voters under 35, Sanders' support increased to 76 percent. Clinton's had at least 55 percent support among older voters.
Thousands are expected to attend Sanders' rally in Washington Square Park Wednesday evening, while Clinton heads to an event in the Bronx.
"He's the candidate of peace and we -- I don't want (my son) Connor growing up, when he's 18 -- I don't want him going to war," Daniel Garrett, of Hamden, Connecticut, said.
The rivals plan to face off in a televised debate in Brooklyn on Thursday night.
Among likely Republican voters, the Siena poll showed New York businessman Donald Trump backed by 50 percent, followed by 27 percent for Ohio Gov. John Kasich and 17 percent for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
"Trump looks like he will cruise to victory in his home state, as Cruz did in Texas and Kasich in Ohio," said Greenberg. "The real question is will he get a majority of Republican votes or simply a very high plurality?"
In Siena's March poll, Trump had 45 percent support, Kasich and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio each had 18 percent and Cruz 11 percent.
Most Democrats polled, 68 percent, said they thought Clinton is likely to be the next president, while 12 percent predicted Sanders and 10 percent Trump.
Among Republicans polled, 40 percent said they believe Trump will be elected president, 33 percent predicted Clinton, 8 percent said Cruz and 1 percent predicted Kasich.
Trump is focusing on Pennsylvania on Wednesday with a rally in Pittsburgh. Cruz will be campaigning in nearby Erie. A win in New York would be welcomed by the GOP front-runner, after being outmaneuvered for delegates in Colorado.
The April 6-11 polls of 538 Democrats and 469 Republicans has margins of error of 4.5 and 5 percentage points, respectively.
Meanwhile, a new poll released by Monmouth University shows Trump with another sizable lead in Maryland.
According to the poll, 47 percent of Republican voters favor Trump over Kasich and Cruz, who poll at 27 and 19 percent, respectively.
Maryland's April 26 primary follows New York's April 19 vote.
The Monmouth University April 10 to 12 poll of 301 Maryland voters likely to vote in the Republican presidential primary has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.7 percent.
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