Going further than he ever has in expressing regret over Obama administration immigration policy, presidential candidate Joe Biden called it a “big mistake” to have deported hundreds of thousands of people without criminal records.

In written statements included as part of Biden’s proposed immigration overhaul, the campaign already had acknowledged “pain” surrounding deportations that occurred when he served as President Barack Obama’s vice president. But the candidate himself had not so clearly stated his personal regrets.

Biden emphasized to Ramos his proposals to expand legal immigration, bolster the asylum process and end construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall. The project has been President Donald Trump’s hallmark anti-immigration effort.

“This is a big country,” Biden told Ramos, dismissing “the idea we can’t accommodate more people in the interest of the United States.” He called “legal as well as undocumented immigrants” key contributors to the U.S. economy and society.

Ramos and Biden had a testy exchange during Democrats’ September primary debate when the high-profile Latino journalist noted Obama’s deportation record and asked Biden, “Why should Latinos trust you?” Just as he did in September, Biden rejected any suggestion that Obama’s record on immigration is commensurate to Trump’s.

When Ramos queried Biden this time on 3 million deportations, including an estimated 1.7 million people who had no criminal record, Biden initially pushed back by asserting that previous administrations had “deported twice as many people,” a claim he could not support with federal data. Pressed again, Biden relented.

“It was painful,” Biden said. “It took too long. But we began to get it right with the DACA program,” he continued, referring to Obama’s executive order that granted legal status to immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children.