A veteran political operative who helped the Obama administration expand its outreach to Latino-focused media is one of the latest casualties of the Democratic National Committee email scandal.
Luis Miranda, the DNC’s communications director, is among three top officials at the organization who will leave following the leak of hacked emails, the DNC announced.
Miranda was among DNC officials whose emails appeared in the leaked cache of emails and were posted on Wikileaks last month.
One of Miranda’s most high profile positions was director of Hispanic media for President Barack Obama. Miranda expanded White House outreach to the growing world of Spanish-language media.
In one leaked email, Miranda called some immigration advocacy groups irresponsible for wanting lenient handling of Central Americans who were arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border by the thousands, a situation complicated further by the presence of numerous unaccompanied minors among them.
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Miranda indicated that the crossing of Central Americans involved smugglers and other dangerous elements, and to be seen as facilitating their entry into the United States could send the wrong message to those who might be tempted to take the risks.
CASA in Action, an influential immigration advocacy organization, pushed for Miranda’s resignation because of the email about Central Americans, saying it reflected an attitude that was not supportive of the immigrants or the efforts to help them.
CASA in Action sent a letter to the DNC's interim chair, Donna Brazile, to express their outrage over Miranda’s e-mail.
“While we understand that these emails were not meant for public consumption, they indicate a lack of understanding of our immigrant community and those who fight for it,” said CASA’s letter to Brazile.
In the controversial email, Miranda wrote: “They want us to send a message to Central Americans to keep paying smugglers and put those kids at risk of abuse and even death.
Frankly, the rhetoric on this and calls for [Temporary Protective Status] are irresponsible – they send a message that ends up in more lives [being] lost.”
“So we'll focus our points on how much has already been done to make things better, and that the GOP is standing in the way of real reform,” Miranda said. “We're not going to get into a fight on the Central Americans specifically: We're going to focus on Republican obstruction.”
Miranda is himself an immigrant from Colombia. He obtained U.S. legal permanent residency under President Ronald Reagan’s 1986 immigration law that granted amnesty to millions, according to The Atlantic.
Other DNC officials who are expected to leave their jobs this week are the organization’s chief executive Amy Dacey, and its chief financial officer, Brad Marshall.
The email leaks reached fever pitch just as the Democratic National Convention was beginning in Philadelphia at the end of July. The leaks led to the resignation of DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz after several emails appeared to reflect an intent to undermine the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and, therefore, to clear the way for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to become the nominee.
In announcing the departures of Miranda, Dacey and Marshall, Brazile said in a statement quoted by the Washington Post: "Thanks in part to the hard work of Amy, Luis, and Brad, the Democratic Party has adopted the most progressive platform in history, has put itself in financial position to win in November, and has begun the important work of investing in state party partnerships.”
"I’m so grateful for their commitment to this cause, and I wish them continued success in the next chapter of their career.”
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