What in the world has happened to the Democratic party’s approach to illegal immigration over the last dozen years?
Twelve years ago, during a Senate floor debate in October 2006, freshman U.S. Senator Barack Obama supported construction of a physical barrier along the southwest border. “The bill before us will certainly do some good,” he said, before speaking approvingly of a barrier’s ability to “help stem the tide of illegal immigration in this country.” leading Democrats – including potential candidates for the party’s 2020 presidential nomination – have done a 180-degree reversal. They now oppose construction of a physical barrier, and even demand the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the law enforcement agency responsible for enforcing the laws on the books and removing illegal immigrants.
What happened to the Democratic party in the intervening years? In a word, politics.
Back in 2006, when the Secure Fence Act was being considered in the Senate, Democratic party leaders envisioned a difficult presidential election in 2008. They wanted to secure their right flank against charges of being weak on illegal immigration. Supporting construction of a physical barrier seemed the thing to do. So 26 Democratic senators – including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Chuck Schumer – voted for it.
But that was then, and this is now.
As they look to 2020 and the chance to take on Donald Trump, they know that before they can engage Trump in the fall, they’ll first have to win their party’s nomination. The Democratic party nomination process is heavily influenced by the hard left, and they know it.
Is it really any wonder so many voters, fed up with a party that had abandoned them in search of new voters, decided to abandon the party of their
