Martin O'Malley unleashes on 'that immigrant-bashing carnival barker' Donald Trump

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) got one of the biggest applause lines of Saturday night's debate for his criticism of Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump.

Asked about border security and immigration reform, O'Malley called for a path to citizenship for immigrants living in the US illegally and slammed Trump for supposed "immigrant bashing."

"The fact of the matter is, and let's say it in our debate - because you'll never hear this from that immigrant-bashing carnival-barker Donald Trump - the truth of the matter is that net-immigration from Mexico last year was zero," O'Malley said.

"There is no substitute for having comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship for 11 million people, many of whom have known no other country but the United States of America. Our symbol is the Statue of Liberty, not a barbed-wire fence."

The line is part of O'Malley's standard campaign stump speech. In the first Democratic debate, O'Malley called Trump a "xenophobe" and a "carnival-barker."

Trump has repeatedly stirred controversy for his controversial statements about Mexican immigrants, as well as his plan to deport 11 million immigrants living in the US without permission using what he dubbed a "deportation force."

Watch the video below, via Politico: