http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/288979-kaine-wields-spanish-skills-in-miami-vp-appearanceJuly 23, 2016, 02:43 pm
Kaine wields Spanish skills in Miami VP appearance
By Evelyn Rupert and Nikita Vladimirov
Hillary Clinton's newly announced vice presidential pick Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine switched in and out of Spanish at their first joint campaign event in Miami Saturday.
He began with welcoming the crowd in Spanish saying "we are all Americans" in this country.
Kaine said he and Clinton are "soulmates in this great fight" for progressive ideas.
During his speech, Kaine touched on his experience after law school when he spent a year volunteering in Honduras, asking the crowd in Spanish if here were any Hondurans in attendance to a few cheers.
"I learned the values of my community: faith, family and work. Faith, family and work," he said in Spanish. "The same values of the Latino community in our country, right?"
When the topic of the speech changed to immigration, Kaine praised naturalized citizens and pledged to fight for immigration reform.
"In the first 100 days we will do this. It has been three years and we're still waiting for the House of Representatives to have a debate or vote on immigration reform," he said in Spanish. "We are going to work together in the first 100 days of the administration."
"Anyone who loves the United States this much deserves to be here," he added, also translating that into English.
Saturday was Kaine's first speech as a vice-presidential candidate of the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Latest estimates show that Hispanics make up approximately 17 percent of the US population, or about 55 million people.
