Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said he approves of President Donald Trump’s handling of fentanyl and border security.
“I mean, I think cracking down on fentanyl, making sure our borders are stronger,” Sanders told ABC’s Jonathan Karl during a pre-taped segment that aired on Sunday’s “This Week.”
“Look, nobody thinks illegal immigration is appropriate,” Sanders said. “And I happen to think we need comprehensive immigration reform, but I don’t think that it’s appropriate for people to be coming across the border illegally. So we’ve got to work now on comprehensive immigration reform.”
Sanders’ stance seems to be a departure from his 2020 presidential campaign platform, where he supported “breaking up” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection and pausing deportations pending an audit. He also supported stopping the border wall, ending the “Remain in Mexico” policy, decriminalizing illegal immigration by making it a civil infraction, and ending previous limits on federal funding for sanctuary cities.
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Sanders told ABC that if Trump deports “20 million people who are in this country who are undocumented,” he would “destroy the entire country.”
“Because I got news for you: Trump’s billionaire friends are not going to pick the crops in California that feed us,” Sanders said. “They’re not going to work in meat-packing houses. That’s what undocumented people are doing. So we need a variety of programs, guest worker programs, but mostly comprehensive immigration reform.”
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Karl told Sanders that illegal immigration “exploded under Biden.”
To that, the senator responded, “Should have done much better, no argument.”
Sanders has been conducting a “Fighting Oligarchy Tour.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., joined him this past week for five events in Nevada, Arizona and Colorado.
“No matter who you voted for in the past, no matter if you know all the right words to say, no matter your race, religion, gender identity or status,” Ocasio-Cortez said to thousands at a rally at Arizona State University, “no matter even if you disagree with me on a few things, if you are willing to fight for someone you don’t know, you are welcome here.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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