Video shows Sanders has been wrong on immigration policy, used GOP talking points
Reminder: Bernie Sanders used GOP talking points when talking about comprehensive immigration reform. In 2007, he went on Lou Dobbs’ show and said, “I don’t know why we need millions of people to be coming into this country as guest workers who will work for lower wages than American workers and drive wages down even lower than they are right now.”
Following through on that GOP-like rhetoric, Sanders voted against the comprehensive immigration reform bill in 2007. Watch the video to see Sanders try and justify his vote with GOP rhetoric:
BERNIE SANDERS’ MIXED RECORD ON COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM
Voted Against in 2007
Bernie Sanders opposed bringing the 2007 comprehensive immigration reform bill to the floor for a vote. On June 6, 2007, Bernie Sanders opposed motion to invoke cloture (thus limiting debate) on the Kennedy, D-Mass., substitute amendment no. 1150, as amended, that would overhaul U.S. immigration policies and institute new border security measures, including an electronic verification system. Note: Three-fifths of the total Senate (60) is required to invoke cloture. A “yea” was a vote in support of the president’s position. Motion rejected 45-50: R 7-38; D 37-11 (ND 35-8, SD 2-3); I 1-1. On June 6, 2007, Bernie Sanders opposed motion to invoke cloture (thus limiting debate) on the bill that would overhaul U.S. immigration policies and offer a path to citizenship for most illegal immigrants in the country. Note: Three-fifths of the total Senate (60) is required to invoke cloture. (At the conclusion of the vote, Reid, D-Nev., entered a motion to reconsider the vote, to be voted on at a later time.) Motion rejected 34-61: R 0-47; D 33-13 (ND 31-10, SD 2-3); I 1-1. On June 6, 2007, Bernie Sanders opposed motion to invoke cloture (thus limiting debate) on the Kennedy, D-Mass., substitute amendment no. 1150, as amended, that would overhaul U.S. immigration policies and institute new border security measures, including an electronic verification system. Note: Three-fifths of the total Senate (60) is required to invoke cloture. (At the conclusion of the vote, Reid, D-Nev., entered a motion to reconsider the vote, to be voted on at a later time.) Motion rejected 33-63: R 0-47; D 32-15 (ND 30-12, SD 2-3); I 1-1. [S1348, Vote #206, Vote #204, Vote #203, 6/7/07; CQ Floor Votes, 6/7/07]
Bernie Sanders helped to kill immigration reform by teaming up with conservative GOP Senator Charles Grassley on so-called “poison pill” amendments. “[Sanders] history with immigration reform is similar, with a mixed record of supporting things like the Dream Act and the 2013 bill, but in 2007 helping to kill that comprehensive immigration reform deal by teaming with conservative Republican Sen. Charles Grassley (Iowa) on so-called ‘poison pill’ amendments. Other Democrats opposed the final bill, as Sanders did, but almost all who did so came from the more moderate wing of the party.’” [Washington Post (Blog), 7/7/15]
According to States News Service, Bernie Sanders joined in an “unusual bipartisan alliance” of 37 Republicans and 15 Democrats to kill the 2007 immigration reform bill. “Senate support and opposition to the bill created unusual bipartisan alliances of legislators. Some 33 Democrats, 12 Republicans and one independent, Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, voted to keep the bill alive. But 37 Republicans, 15 Democrats and liberal independent Vermont Senator Bernard Sanders voted to sustain the debate, thus effectively killing the bill.” [States News Service, 6/29/07]
According to the New York Times, Bernie Sanders voted against immigration reform “mainly because of concerns about fraud in guest-worker programs.” “Seven of the dissenting votes came when the Senate considered an immigration reform bill in 2007, and most of them were cloture votes to advance debate of the proposal. Mr. Sanders voted no on six such votes in an attempt to block the bill from being voted on by the Senate, mainly because of concerns about fraud in guest-worker programs. Mrs. Clinton supported advancing the bill, which would have offered legal status to millions of undocumented immigrants and improved border security.” [New York Times, 5/27/15]
Barely Supported in 2013
Bernie Sanders on 2013 immigration reform bill: “It’s not a great bill, and I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to with it.” “These guys were worried about illegal immigrants; at the same time, in the same bill, you have Republicans out there, and you have some Democrats too, I should tell you, who want to bring in hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of thousands of low-wage workers into this country, so that folks in Florida and Vermont and elsewhere are going to have to compete against additional low-wage labor. And those are the issues that we are dealing with. It’s not a great bill, and I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to with it; I mentioned earlier I’ve got a youth employment program in there, which will make it a lot better bill, and – [cut off]” [Brunch with Bernie, 6/21/13]
According to the Hill, Bernie Sanders was “likely” to support the 2013 immigration reform bill after Senate negotiators agreed to include $1.5 billion for a youth jobs program. “Immigration reform has gotten a new burst of life as a growing number of Senate Republicans have embraced the 1,000-page-plus legislation, setting up President Obama for a big victory this week. […] Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.), a liberal independent who caucuses with Democrats, has spoken out against what he has called a ‘massive increase in temporary guest worker programs’ at a time of high unemployment. But Sanders is likely to vote for the bill after negotiators agreed to provide $1.5 billion over two years for a youth jobs program.” [The Hill, 6/24/13]
- Sanders voted for the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. [U.S. Senate Roll Call Number 168, 6/27/13]
THE EXTREME RIGHT PRAISES BERNIE’S IMMIGRATION POSITIONS
TIME headline: “Why Some Conservatives Praise Bernie Sanders on Immigration.” “[Headline:] Why Some Conservatives Praise Bernie Sanders on Immigration” [TIME, 1/7/16]
NumbersUSA president on Bernie Sanders: “I think in his gut he believes his obligation as president would be to the workers of America, not to the workers of the world.” [TIME, 1/7/16]
GOP Rep. Steve King: “I admire Bernie’s passion and I notice that his immigration position is closer to mine than it is some of the presidential candidates on the Republican side.” [TIME, 1/7/16]
GOP Rep. Steve King on Bernie Sanders: “He’s said, ‘Let’s take care of American workers.’ I’m all for that.” [TIME, 1/7/16]
GOP Rep. Steve King compared Bernie Sanders with Donald Trump, saying they’re “both speaking with non-politically correct language, and Bernie has taken some positions that I agree with. And part of his immigration policy is something that I agree with.” [TIME, 1/7/16]
- Rep. Steve King on immigrants: “They’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’ve been hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert.” “Some of them are valedictorians — and their parents brought them in. It wasn’t their fault. It’s true in some cases, but they aren’t all valedictorians. They weren’t all brought in by their parents. For every one who’s a valedictorian, there’s another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds — and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’ve been hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert.” [Huffington Post, 7/25/13]
- Rep. Steve King called illegal immigration a “slow-motion terrorist attack” on America. ”Since King came to Congress, his most over-the-top rhetorical outbursts include comparing immigrants to dogs [and] calling illegal immigration a ‘slow-motion terrorist attack’ on the United States.” [The New Republic, 11/30/14]
TIME’s Sam Frizell: Although Bernie Sanders differs from conservatives in some areas of immigration policy, “the praise is not accidental.” “To be sure, Sanders differs from conservative boosters like Beck and King on most counts. Sanders has long supported a path to citizenship and called for better treatment of undocumented immigrants. (NumbersUSA has given Sanders an ‘F-’ grade on immigration policy.) But the praise is not accidental.” [TIME, 1/7/16]