No, Democrats Don’t Want ‘Open Borders’

What Was Said

“The Democrats want open borders. They want anybody they wanted, including MS-13, pouring into the country.”

— President Donald Trump, speaking Monday at a campaign rally in South Carolina

The Facts

False.

Democrats have argued that building a wall on the southwestern border is ineffective and a waste of resources, and rejected hard-line proposals to limit legal immigration. But Trump is grossly exaggerating Democrats’ positions when he conflates their opposition to his signature campaign promise and immigration priorities as “open borders.” And there is no evidence that they “want anybody,” including MS-13, to enter the United States freely.

While criticizing Trump’s immigration policies, the Democratic National Committee has committed to improving border security.

Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, the Democratic leaders in the Senate and House, have rebutted the president’s charges. Additionally, their aides cited several examples of legislation that are supported by Democrats and would have provided border security funding.

Responding last week to Trump’s earlier claims, Pelosi said, “No, we do care about the border.”

“We care about protecting our country, but we don’t think we need to protect the border by putting children in cages,” Pelosi said. “We want to be smart and strong — not reckless, rash and ruthless in this case.”

Thirty Democrats in the House have sponsored a bipartisan immigration bill this year that gives the young immigrants known as Dreamers a pathway to citizenship. It also enhances technology used to monitor the border, and provides $110 million in grants annually for collaboration between local law enforcement and Border Patrol agents.

All 193 Democrats in the House and 23 moderate Republicans have signed a “discharge” petition to force a vote on that bill and other immigration proposals.

In the Senate, all but one Democrat voted for similar immigration legislation sponsored by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.

And all but three Democrats voted for yet another bipartisan proposal to provide a pathway to citizenship to Dreamers, authorize $25 billion to build barriers and hire personnel at the border over the next decade. It would also prohibit green-card holders from sponsoring adult children.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump’s press secretary, repeated the assertion Monday and argued that Democrats have “made it very clear that they don’t want to work with the president, that they don’t want to fix our immigration system” — referring to the political impasse over immigration reform.

The vast majority of Senate Democrats, and 14 Republicans, voted down a White House-backed Senate proposal that would enable the Department of Homeland Security to make more arrests and deportations, limit family-based immigration, and eliminate the diversity visa lottery. House Democrats have also suggested opposition to a new measure that will also limit legal immigration.

But rejecting these proposals does not amount to opposing any enforcement of immigration laws or allowing anyone, including criminals and gang members, to enter the country without restrictions.

Democrats also consistently supported border security measures before Trump took office.

In 2013, every single Democrat in the Senate voted for the so-called Gang of Eight immigration overhaul bill that would have provided about $40 billion for border enforcement, including deploying thousands more agents and building 700 miles of fencing. (The House never voted on the bill.)

And in 2006, 26 Senate Democrats voted to build 700 miles of walls and fences on the southwestern border. Schumer was among the Democrats who supported that proposal — a fact that even Trump has repeatedly acknowledged, as recently as last week.

— Source: Congress.gov, House.gov, Senate.gov, Congressional Research Service, The New York Times, Offices of Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi