STRATEGIC MEMORANDUM
TO: Interested Parties
FROM: Brad Woodhouse, President, Correct the Record
RE: Bernie Sanders’ Mixed Record on Immigration
DATE: Friday, March 18, 2016
As the eyes of the political world turn towards Arizona, it is time to revisit Bernie Sanders’ record on an issue important to Arizonans: immigration. While the Republican candidates for president argue about who is more extreme on immigration–focused on wall building, breaking apart families, and deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants, Democratic candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders has his own mixed record on the issue. Sanders has voted against comprehensive immigration reform and to protect the Minutemen–a “nativist extremist” group. He has even earned praise from those on the far right whose policies have made things harder for immigrants.
BERNIE SANDERS’ MIXED RECORD ON IMMIGRATION
KEY POINTS
Bernie Sanders’ record on immigration has been at odds with the mainstream of the Democratic Party.
- Bernie Sanders voted against and helped to kill comprehensive immigration reform in 2007. In 2007, Bernie Sanders helped kill the comprehensive immigration reform deal by teaming with conservative Republican Sen. Charles Grassley on so-called “poison pill” amendments.
- Bernie Sanders voted to protect the Minutemen, labeled a “nativist extremist” group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. In 2006, Sanders voted to prevent federal funds from being used tip off foreign governments with the operations or location of the Minutemen.
- Bernie Sanders has earned praise on his immigration record from the extreme right. GOP Rep. Steve King, who once called illegal immigration a “slow-motion terrorist attack” said Sanders’ record is “closer to mine than it is some of the presidential candidates on the Republican side.”
MIXED RECORD ON COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM
Voted Against in 2007
2007: Bernie Sanders voted against cloture for comprehensive immigration reform. 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. “His 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]
Bernie Sanders opposed cloture on a immigration reform bill that would have provided legal status and a path to legal citizenship for the approximately 12 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. “Opposed ending debate on a sweeping immigration reform bill that would have provided legal status and a path to legal citizenship for the approximately 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. It also would have improved border security by hiring 20,000 more Border Patrol agents. The bill died in the Senate.” [Gannett News Service, 2/18/08]
- 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]
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]
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]
BERNIE VOTED TO PROTECT THE MINUTEMEN
2006: Sanders Voted to Protect the Minutemen
2006: Bernie Sanders voted to prevent federal funds from being used to tip off foreign governments with the operations or location of the Minutemen. On June 6, 2006, Bernie Sanders and Steve King voted for an amendment to the FY 2007 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, which was described by Congressional Quarterly as: “Kingston, R-Ga., amendment that would bar the use of funds in the bill to provide a foreign government with information that relates to the operations or location of the Minutemen or other private volunteer border patrol groups along the U.S.-Mexican border, unless the information sharing is required by an international treaty.” The amendment passed 293 to 107. [H.Amdt.971 to H.R.5441, Vote #224, 6/6/06; CQ Almanac, 2006]
- The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies the Minuteman as a nativist hate group. “What follows is a state-by-state list of the 173 groups that constitute the nativist extremist movement, as fissured as it may be. In the case of three major groups — the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, the Minuteman Project, and the Federal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Coalition — acronyms have been added to help identify affiliated chapters that use other names. Groups marked by an asterisk (*) are also listed by the Southern Poverty Law Center as hate groups.” [Southern Poverty Law Center, “’Nativist Extremist’ Group List,” (accessed, 12/8/15)]
- The Minuteman applauded Donald Trump for praising President Eisenhower’s Operation Wetback, which moved millions of immigrants out of the U.S. “Donald Trump forcefully fought off attacks by pro-illegal alien politicians like John Kasich and defended both a strong defense of our Southern Border and serious immigration law enforcement. ‘We are a country of laws,’ the real estate mogul declared. ‘We need borders. We will have a wall. The wall will be built. The wall will be successful. And if you think walls don’t work, all you have to do is ask Israel. The wall works, believe me, properly done. Believe me.’ When pressed by Maria Bartiromo on whether he would really deport the millions of illegal aliens currently in the country, Trump affirmed that he would, saying ‘we either have a country or we don’t.’ When Kasich used the establishment argument that it’s impossible to actually enforce the law because there are just too many criminals running around, Trump invoked former President Dwight D. Eisenhower: ‘Come on folks!’ he cried. ‘We all know you can’t pick them up and ship them back across the border. It’s a silly argument. It’s not an adult argument. It makes no sense.’ Trump responded by pointing to the ultimate success of Operation Wetback in the days of President Eisenhower. ‘Let me just tell you that Dwight Eisenhower … moved a million and a half illegal immigrants out of this country, moved them just beyond the border; they came back,’ Trump explained. ‘Moved them again beyond the border, they came back. Didn’t like it; moved them way south. They never came back.’” [Minuteman Project, 11/11/15]
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]
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]
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]