Wednesday, October 05, 2016

Fact checking VP debate on immigration, border security, jobs, deportation, Obama's jobs record

Kaine and Pence (Photo: Andrew Gombert, Getty Images)
The vice-presidential debate between Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine contained plenty of factual errors. We only have room here for a few. If you want to re-publish them, we encourage you to look at reports by The Washington Post's Fact Checker unit, PolitiFact and FactCheck.org for full context and things you may want to add.

Pence said Hillary Clinton and Kaine “have a plan for open borders.” Post fact-checkers Glenn Kessler and Michelle Ye Hee Le write, "Pence exaggerates . . . Clinton has said she would expand Obama’s executive actions on immigration and has advocated for comprehensive immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship. But she also has supported enhanced border security. And her immigration proposal includes 'humane, targeted and effective' enforcement and focusing immigration resources on detaining and deporting those 'who pose a threat to public safety.'”

Kaine's claim of “15 million new jobs” during President Obama's term was off base, Kessler and Lee write: "Counting from January 2009, there have been nearly 11 million private-sector jobs created in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If you count all jobs, including government jobs, the figure is 10.5 million. So how does Kaine come up with 15 million? He’s counting from the low point for jobs in Obama’s presidency, February 2010. When you start the clock from then, the tally is 15 million private-sector jobs and 14.8 million overall jobs."

Pence disputed Kaine's claim that Donald Trump "was proposing a 'deportation force' to 'go house to house' and send away millions of immigrants who are here illegally," reports FactCheck.org. "Trump did say that."

Kaine claimed that Pence called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “better leader” than President Obama, reports FactCheck.org. Pence didn't call Putin a "better leader" but he did call Putin a “stronger leader.”

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