U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., is among the high-ranking Democrats pushing to have immigration reform made an official part of the party's platform.

The Arizona Democrat, who has supported Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., this presidential election season, recently testified at the Democratic Party platform where he urged party leaders to "take the moral high ground" on the issue.

"The Republican nominee has made race as his byline in terms of generating fear and with that fear converting that into support for his candidacy," Grijalva said in a reference to presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Dems Urged to Lock up Latino Support

In also imploring party leaders to tackle the issue of deportation of veterans, Grijalva added, Dems "have the opportunity to take the moral high ground on immigration reform by insisting this is the priority for this party, by adding specificity to the platform and not generalities and by doing so, consolidate the future strength of this party going forward."

Platform agendas have taken on more significance this election season based on the strong primary challenge Sanders has mounted to presumptive party nominee Hillary Clinton.

The platform is now widely viewed as being instrumental in bringing the party back together. The platform drafting committee is comprised of 15 members and Sanders was recently allowed to select five members after complaining that the process was rigged.

U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., a longtime immigration advocate, was one of the six committee members chosen by Clinton.

Earlier this month, those testifying at the Democratic Party platform forum addressed such concerns as immigration reform, the state of African Americans, guns, anti-Muslim sentiment, the criminal justice system, Native Americans, hunger and poverty.

The Democratic National Convention is scheduled for July 25 to 28 in Philadelphia, where the party platform is slated to be officially discussed and approved.

Grijalva Lays Out What His Biggest Concerns

When it comes to immigration, Grijalva argues some of the most significant concerns should include addressing the criminalization of immigrants and ending automatic deportation and detention, stressing family unity and dealing with the deportation of legal residents who are military veterans and obliterating a requirement that Immigration and Customs Enforcement detain at least 34,000 individuals daily in private detention facilities.

Now considered the face of the Republican Party, Trump has vowed to deport millions of immigrants if elected and is also pushing to have a wall built along the Mexican border to further keep immigrants out.

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