By Jason Hopkins
A New Hampshire voter confronted Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday about his seemingly evolved immigration platform, pointing out that he used to be opposed to “open borders.”
While speaking at a campaign event in Derry, New Hampshire, one woman in the crowd accused Sanders of inconsistency regarding his immigration positions. The woman noted that, at one time, he used to refer to “open borders” as a Koch brothers-led scheme to import low-wage workers, but now he has turned down his rhetoric against illegal immigration.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
“One issue that you have not been consistent on is open borders. When you first ran, you said it was a Koch brothers scheme, and seemed to recognize that low-wage workers being dumped into the country does not help low-wage workers,” the woman began, adding that her family stands at 134% of the poverty line.
“Can you please explain why you changed on that issue? Did you have to change? Because donors seem to want the low-wage workers,” she added.
Sanders, who is a top contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, pushed back on the idea that he has changed.
“What I believe in absolutely is — I don’t believe in ‘open borders.’ Open borders means anybody can come from any place in the world. There’s no country in the history of the world, I think, that has ever had that view. That is not my view, but my view is that we have 11 million undocumented — many of those workers, by the way, are being exploited right now,” Sanders said.
“Trump wants to throw everybody out of the country. If he threw people out of the country, the price of food in this country would skyrocket. Who do you think is picking the crops and planting all over this country?” he continued.
This is not the first time Sanders has been approached about his pivot on immigration. The New York Times editorial board, during its review of the Democratic candidates before their endorsement, entered into a back-and-forth with the senator in January over his previous declarations that illegal immigration and guest worker programs lower wages for American employees.
Since the beginning of the Trump administration, Sanders has veered sharply to the left on a number of immigration issues.
The self-described democratic socialist has come out in favor decriminalization of illegal immigration, and has announced that he would immediately ban nearly all deportations if elected to the White House. He would also issue executive orders undoing virtually all of President Donald Trump’s immigration directives.
Sanders also said he would completely reorganize the Department of Homeland Security, including the dismantling of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). More recently, Sanders said he was open to using taxpayer money to tear down sections of the southern border wall.
Sanders in the past as attempted to brush away his past comments on open borders by noting it was something he said “250 years ago.” In actuality, the comments were made as recently as 2015.
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Bernie doesn’t care about our country…why should her care about our safety and wellbeing or even that of illegals who face exploitation and death to come here? Without a border we do not have a country period. We need to stop illegal immigration with a physical barrier to protect our nation and all who live here before we change our immigration laws and remove or jail criminal aliens first. The sanctuary crackdown is a great first step.
Americans are willing to do hard work but need to be compensated an expected reasonable wage even if it is the minimum. And to be protected by our labor and employment laws. Illegals don’t have this option making them magnets for employers who don’t want to pay livable wages or follow the law.
Temporary status could be given in some circumstances, Many if not most countries do not allow citizenship to migrants however legal migrants are allowed to reside and work if necessary.
Until the following practices which are harming all of us are ended our immigration system remains broken and we are simply unable to move forward in any meaningful way:
Tackling Sanctuaries
https://cis.org/Report/Stop-Sanctuary-Cities
By Dan Cadman and Jessica M. Vaughan on December 13, 2016
Opinion: How employers could stop illegal immigration in seconds
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/make-e-verify-mandatory-when-hiring-and-that-will-help-stop-illegal-immigration-2016-11-02
Most illegal aliens routinely commit felonies
By Ronald Mortensen, opinion contributor
https://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/immigration/326272-most-
illegal-aliens-routinely-commit-felonies
Most illegal immigrants in US receive government benefits, costing taxpayers billions: experts
William La Jeunesse
By William La Jeunesse | Fox News
https://www.foxnews.com/us/the-cost-of-illegal-immigration-migrants-cost-us-taxpayers-billions-a-year
Study: Left-wing claims that ‘immigrants do jobs American’s WON’T do’ is a MYTH
https://thenationalsentinel.com/2018/08/29/left-wing-claims-that-immigrants-do-jobs-americans-wont-do-is-a-myth/Stop the Leftist Lies; The United States is NOT a Nation of Immigrants!
http://theamericanfreedomparty.us/stop-leftist-lies-united-states-not-nation-immigrants/
Bernie’s no different than the rest of his ilk. Every morning he checks out the flavor of the day and that’s his agenda for the next 24 hours.
Broken link alert:
Study: Left-wing claims that ‘immigrants do jobs American’s WON’T do’ is a MYTH
Posted on August 29, 2018 in Analysis, Democrats, Employment, Illegal Immigration, Immigration, labor
https://thenationalsentinel.com/2018/08/29/left-wing-claims-that-immigrants-do-jobs-americans-wont-do-is-a-myth/
In the states I’ve lived in, where immigrant workers harvested crops or worked on roofing jobs in 110 F weather, it was because Americans refused to do that kind of, “demeaning work.” Instead, they sit at home and collect welfare checks. My brother and I worked in strawberry fields for two seasons. It’s back breaking work. The most efficient workers were immigrant women. My brother and I had respect for them.
Open borders are not good for anyone, including undocumented immigrants. But, federal and States’ exercising of regulations is the problem, not the immigrants. The immigrants come for a better life, and that is only natural. States and cities that defy the Fed with claiming to be sanctuaries should be penalized. Why does it take so long to become a citizen? That in itself discourages immigrants from applying. What makes it so hard to grant citizenship in one year? Ellis island would process a ship load of immigrants in a matter of days. The bureaucratic BS, and taking 5-7 years to get an American citizenship only worsens the undocumented immigrant debacle.
Oh yeah, Sanders. I almost forgot the article is about him. He’s a politician. And flip flops are what they do. They go where the votes are. If that means switching boats in mid stream, then that’s what they do. All politicos do that.
Sanders will say anything to get elected. He always is ranting and raving about something but it’s always against the other side. The guy is a BS artist and people believe that pied piper.
That do nothing senator has never accomplished anything in his life other than fooling the people and getting elected senator. We all fell for his crap at one time or another..
Never once did I ever fall for this charlatan’s non-stop BS, and I’ve known him since he was a filthy bum sleeping on park benches in Burlington.